3A Girls Sub State at Silver Lake ---     
Royal Valley 53, Mission Valley 49 in 2 OT

The action couldn't have been more intense and competitive in Silver Lake, but on Saturday night, it was the number three seed, Royal Valley that survived and advanced with a victory over top seeded Mission Valley (in double overtime) to qualify for state for the fourth time in school history and the first appearance since 2005.  Under first-year Head Coach Kyle Porter, the Panthers overcame an ankle injury to Tamo Thomas and Marlissa Jordan fouling out to win against a higher seed in a highly contested battle for the second straight night.  The Panthers beat St. Mary's 34-31 on Friday.  

Saturday's championship was a back and forth, tight game all night and with the contest tied, the Panthers had the ball with 17 seconds left in regulation and again with nine ticks remaining in the first overtime.  Kiikto Thomas led Royal Valley with 14 points while Tamo Thomas and Marlissa Jordan each scored 12 and Mary Broxterman added eight.

Royal Valley improved to 15-7 on the season and advances to play in 3A State starting on Thursday at the Hutchinson Sports Areana with live coverage on KNZA 103.9 FM.  The Panthers are the #7 seed and play fellow Big 7 foe Nemaha Central #2 seed for the third time this season at 3:00 pm on Thursday.