Following a halfcourt buzzer-beater in the JV game, both varsity contest came down to a final shot as the ACCHS girls and Horton boys prevailed in Effingham during the Friday night rivalry matchup in the NEKL.

GIRLS = ACCHS 35, Horton 34

ACCHS was playing their third game in three days to start the season. Yet, they led throughout the first half and was ahead 19-13 at intermission. Horton took a 23-22 lead on a trey by Maliyah Soto and led 25-24 entering the fourth frame before five more lead changes in a wild fourth period. 

Tommi-Ann McAfee hit a triple to give Horton a 31-30 lead with two minutes left but Natalie Nitz and Aleah Wallisch both made one of two free throws with just over 30 seconds remaining to put the Tigers back on top 32-21. Mariah Genium quickly hit a 15-foot shot for Horton to retake the lead with 16 seconds to play and after an empty Atchison County possession, Keirra Blacksmith made one of two foul shots with six ticks remaining to give Horton the 34-32 edge. Addison Schletzbaum hurried the ball up the court and passed to Nitz on the right wing and she fired just before the final buzzer and hit the triple to give the Tigers their third win in three days all by single digits. 

Nitz had nine points with that triple on a night when ACCHS struggled scoring from the perimeter and made only 2-16 from behind the line. Wallisch scored a game high 15 points. Horton was led by Soto with 12 points but she fouled out late in the game as the Chargers lost their second game of the week by one-point and now stand at 1-2 on the season. 

BOYS = Horton 44, ACCHS 42

LIke the girls game, neither team could take more than a 10-point lead in the boys contest as both Horton and ACCHS boys struggled taking care of the basketball with more than 20 turnovers each. Horton however led 15-9 after the first quarter and never gave up the lead despite their three leading scorers all fouling out. After puling within one point twice in the third period and once in the fourth frame at 37-36, the Tigers missed 12 free throws in the fourth quarter and also missed a potential game-winning three-pointer as time expired. 

Horton led 25-18 at halftime and 34-29 entering the fourth but starting losing players with 5:37 left when Ethan Miller fouled out with eight points. Fellow guard Jayden Oswald fouled out with 11 points at the 1:31 mark and the Chargers coudln't take care of the ball with 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter to allow ACCHS more chances. Trey Lockwood hit two free throws with five seconds left to give Horton a 44-39 advantage but then fouled out with 12 points after a techinical foul and also registered more than 15 rebounds for the 1-1 Chargers. 

ACCHS made both techinical free throws, but missed a three-pointer for the win as they fell to 0-4 on the season. Kieran Courter had a huge night with 23 points for the Tigers but no other player scored more than five which Matt Worley and Bailey Wilson had. ACCHS was 10-23 at he charity stripe but made just 7 of 19 in the fourth quarter. 

Players to Bank On sponsored by the Citizens State Bank and Trust Company in Hiawatha:

Natalie Nitz of ACCHS and Trey Lockwood from Horton