GIRLS = Horton 62, Valley Falls 40

It was a strong start to the season for the Horton girls who returned all players from a four-win season a year ago. The Chargers scored the first eight points of the game and led 23-2 after one quarter before taking a 40-9 halftime advantage and coasting to a 62-20 victory on the road.  Maryanna Randall scored 28 points while fellow senior third-year-starter Kailea Smith added 20 points. 

Valley Falls struggled early against pressure and had 23 turnovers total while playing with just nine girls out for high school basketball this year.  Five of the girls out for the Dragons are freshman, including Lilly Darveaux who led the team with 11 points on the night.  Valley Falls also has only one player taller than 5'6 on the roster and gave up about 20 offensive rebounds.  

BOYS = Valley Falls 68, Horton 18

In the first game of the season, both teams had turnovers their first couple trips down the court. However, the experienced Dragons settled in after making the first shot two and a half minutes into the game and then turned defense into offense that resulted in a 15-0 lead.  Horton didn't score in the first seven minutes of the contest and ended up with nearly 30 turnovers with only two starters returning from last year.  Like the girls game, the margin was 31 points at halftime (43-12) and Valley Falls coasted to the 68-18 home win. 

Avery Gatzemeyer scored 22 points in the first three quarters with a lot of points in transition and several offensive putbacks as the Dragons had a big rebound advantage. Nathan Hawk added 10 points while Tyler Lockhart and Trenton Kraxner each chipped in nine and a total of nine players made a basket in the NEKL contest.   

Citizens State Bank and Trust Company of Hiawatha "Players to Bank On"
Maryanna Randall of Horton and Avery Gatzemeyer from Valley Falls