Giant Communications and JBN Telephone Company Road to Glory, presented by Giant Mobile

The Centralia Panthers, today's #2 ranked team in the state coming into Dodge City, took on the St. John-Hudson Tigers, a team ranked eighth in the state but entered the state tournament as the seventh seed. The contest started close but Centralia built separation in the second and third quarters to coast to the final score of 50-27. 

The first quarter started strong for both teams, ending 15-7 with the Panthers in the lead. The half would end 22-11 with Centralia putting the brakes on the Tigers in the second quarter, holding them to just a bucket. Centralia bucketed seven shots in the first half with a 26.9% shooting percentage from the field, while also dominating the free throw line, going six of seven. The Panthers would also hit their only two threes of the game in the first half but would hold the Tigers to zero on the half and the contest. 

Centralia continued to crawl ahead, extending it to 37-17 heading into the fourth quarter. The Panthers would then put it in cruise control to win the first-round game 50-27. Hayden Kramer only had four points in the first half, but she would explode like dynamite in the second half and finish with the team-leading seventeen points. Tava Gibbs and Oen Deters would both split ten a piece to make three total Panthers score into double figures. Panthers put up twenty-eight total points in the paint. 

Centralia found their groove off their defense today forciing twenty-one turnovers and snagging fourteen steal. The Benedictine commit senior, Oen Deters, led with nine total steals, seven assists, eight boards, and ten points, just a couple of digits away from a quadruple-double. Centralia would end the contest shooting 16-47 for a 34% shot percentage from the field while holding the Tigers to just twelve total made buckets off forty-two attempted shots. In complement, Centralia went 16/20 from the free throw line to end the game.

Centralia will play Troy Friday at 2:00 PM.

NAPA Auto Parts in Atchison/Sabetha Starting Line-up and Top Performers' Stats 

Oen Deters: 10PTS, 8RBS, 7AST, 9STLS, 3/5 FT

Tatum Kramer: 2PTS, 1RB

Hayden Kramer: 17PTS, 2RBS, 8/14 FG

Tava Gibbs: 10PTS, 4RBS, 4STLS, 8/9 FT

Josie Haverkamp: 9PTS, 4RBS, 1 ST, 4/4 FT, 1/3 3PT

Cora Thompson: 2PTS, 2RBS, 1STL