It was the 2nd annual Native American Heritage Night at Royal Valley on Tuesday as the Panthers hosted their Big 7 and Jackson County rivals from Holton in front of a large crowd in Hoyt. 

GIRLS = Holton 64, Royal Valley 32

Holton scored 14 straight points to take an early 14-2 advantage and would not look back, leading 31-14 at halftime and 52-26 at the end of the third quarter before forcing a running clock the final two minutes in route to a 64-32 victory.

Danika Hickman erupted out of the locker room and scored nine straight points before finishing with 11 of her game high 17 points in the third period. Saydee Tanking added 13 points and Macey Patch chipped in 10 while Faith Haussler had nine and Kinleigh Rhodd added eight. Holton improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big 7 League with one game left in 2019 at Sabetha this Friday live on KNZA 103.9 FM.  

The Panthers struggled with 27 turnovers before falling to 1-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Big 7 League. Kennedy Bryan scored 11 points and Maddie Saia had 10. Royal Valley will conclude their December schedule hosting Hiawatha on Thursday on KNZA 103.9 FM.  

BOYS = Royal Valley 53, Holton 42

The Panthers jumped to a 12-4 advantage and led 15-11 after the first quarter before holding Holton scoreless for more than six minutes in the second stanza growing the margin to double figures.  Trailing 25-15 at halftime, Holton used a 6-1 run to pull within 26-21, but could not get any closer the rest of the night.  Royal Valley hit 13 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter and 23 of 28 for the game to secure the 53-42 victory and move to 3-0 on the season. 

Eli Prine scored 14 points while Kale Purcell had 10 and Blake Mulroy added a couple second half treys to finish with eight.  The Wildcats had multiple possessions down by six or seven points, but couldn't quite make a push or hit enough shots to close the margin before falling to 1-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Big 7 League.  Holton will play at Sabetha Friday night to close the 2019 schedule on KNZA 103.9 FM. 

Royal Valley got a quiet 16 points from Nachs Wahwassuck while Komesh Spoonhunter added 13 points and was 7 of 7 from the line while combining with Brady Klotz to give the Panthers a big advantage on the glass and multiple second and third chance scoring opportunities.  Mason Thomas added 10 points and Brevin Canady hit a pair of big triples and scored eight in the fourth quarter to keep the Panthers record perfect this season and overcome 15 turnovers in the contest. Royal Valley will host Hiawatha this Thursday night on KNZA 103.9 FM. 

Citizens State Bank and Trust Company of Hiawatha "Players to Bank On:"

Danika Hickman from Holton and Komesch Spoonhunter for Royal Valley.