Down 18 points going into the fourth quarter the Centralia girls were just looking to make the game competitive down the stretch and force unbeaten Cunningham to feel a little bit of pressure in the opening game of the Class 1A State Tournament in Dodge City.

What the Panthers did instead was something that nobody saw coming as they came all the way to tie the game with under a minute to play before Kennedy Becker won it with a lay-up with 15 seconds to go  giving Centralia an improbable 48-46 upset victory.

That win was short-lived, as just hours later KSHSAA made the announcement that due to the growing concerns of COVID-19 all state tournaments throughout Kansas would be cancelled with no semifinal games to be played.

It’s a gut shot for the Panthers who had to feel like they could be a team of destiny after the improbable victory.

Before the comeback Centralia trailed throughout, getting down 21-15 after the first quarter and 34-22 at the half.

The Panther were then held to just three points in the third, before it was the Kennedy Becker show in the fourth quarter leading Centralia to outscore Cunningham 23-3 in the final period.

Becker was unstoppable in the fourth as the senior finished with 15 points in the quarter and 21 for the game on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, while Morgan Kramer and Olivia Kuckelman each drilled big 3-pointers in the fourth.

Besides the 21 points from Becker, the Panthers also got 10 points from Kramer and six from Sarah Koch off the bench which were all in the first half.

The Panther also forced 16 turnovers in the win and turned those into 19 points.

What started as an exciting day will now forever be a state of wonder for the Panther faithful who now have to always wonder where this team could’ve ended up at the state tournament.

Centralia wraps up the season with a win and a record of 19-8 and say goodbye to three key seniors in Olivia Kuckelman, Kennedy Becker and Morgan Kramer who have left a lasting impact for years to come for Head Coach Roger Holthaus.

Centralia: Kennedy Becker – 21, Morgan Kramer – 10, Sarah Koch – 6, Avery Deters – 5, Olivia Kuckelman – 3, Avery Mars – 3.