The high school basketball tipped off in electric fashion at Blue Rapids on Thursday night as the Valley Heights Mustangs hosted the Centralia Panthers in Twin Valley League action and it was the Panthers coming away with a pair of tough road wins. The lady Panthers started the night off with a 66-52 win, while the Centralia boys held off Valley Heights for the 53-51 win, hitting a game winning shot in the final seconds of the game. 

Centralia started off the night in the girls contest quickly working out to an 8-2 advantage in the first quarter with all eight points coming from Chelsea Huerter, but Valley Heights battled back and made it a one-point game after one quarter, 12-11. The lead ballooned up to 22-13 and the Mustangs called a timeout with 4:36 left to play in the first half and the lead eventually got to double figures before being a 29-21 lead at halftime for the Panthers. 

Katie Glatczak shoulder a lot of the early scoring in the third quarter for the Panthers with 10 of her team high 20 points, coming on in the second half for 16 points after a four point first half. Centralia held a 10-point lead going into the final eight minutes of the contest, but Valley Heights had a flurry early in the fourth by Brandi Jo Roepke and Kayla Smith who drew the Mustangs to within three at 49-46, but after a Centralia timeout the Panthers went on a 6-0 run the lead was back up to nine and behind strong play in the post by Cassidy Haufler Centralia finished the game with a 66-52 win. 

Glatczak's 20 points lead the Panthers in the season opening win, while Haufler chipped in 19 points and was 7-8 from the free throw line and Drew Kramer and Huerter both finished with 10 points each. The strong performances from Glatczak and Haufler earned them co-Community National Bank "Player to Bank On" honors on KMZA. Valley Heights in the loss was led by Roepke who in her first game back from her ACL injury last year scored 28 points, while Smith added 19. 

The boys contest had been decided by one-point the last two times Centralia and Valley Heights meet up and it went down to the wire again, but early the Panthers had the upper hand as Centralia worked out to a double figure lead in the first quarter and lead 20-11 after the first quarter. 

That lead evaporated in the second quarter as the Mustangs rained in some three-pointers with Bryan Yungeberg leading the charge from outside the arc and Centralia clung to a 30-29 lead at halftime. 

In the second half both teams would trade buckets but Centralia would hold onto the lead until Valley Heights took it with 2:22 left in the third at 39-38 and went on to lead 41-40 headed into the final quarter of the contest. The fourth proved to be back and forth like the third and down three with about 1:08 to go Valley Heights had Harrison Blaske the teams ninth three of the game to tie the contest at 51-51 all. 

Centralia would keep the possession the rest of the game dwindling the clock to the final seconds of the game and with about seconds left Braden Deters stepped up and with ice water in his veins nailed the game winning jumper in the lane, giving the Panthers the 53-51 win. 

Deters finished with 15 points and the game winner leading the Panthers and earning him Community National Bank "Player to Bank On" honors on KMZA, while John Johnson and Dustin Talley each chipped in 10 points and Levi Koch scored eight for Centralia. Valley Heights in the loss was led by Yungeberg who rained in five three's for 15 points, while Anthony Edwards added 12 points and Keaton DeWalt had a tough 11 points. 

Both teams hit the court again on Friday night to continue the basketball season as Centralia travels to Valley Falls and Valley Heights is set to host Riley County.