In a showdown for 1st place in the South Central Conference, it was all Knoxville as the Panthers played suffocating defense on Centerville holding Big Reds Star Malachi Rice below his average in an 82-44 rout while the girls struggled in a 59-8 loss to Centerville as heard live on 95.3 KNIA. The boys never trailed, leading 19-11 at the end of the 1st quarter, then went on a 13-4 run to close the half to take a 42-26 lead at the break, and outscored the Big Reds 40-18 in the 2nd half. Coach Joel Keady told KNIA/KRLS Sports they knew they had to play team defense against such a good player in Rice.

Keady: “We just said that we have to play team defense and give him some more attention. Our guys are experienced by this time and they’ve got their rear end kicked when they were younger, and sometimes you just have to play more team defense.”

Knoxville was again balanced, led by Lincoln Norris with 18 points, Tristan Stevenson scored 16 and Drake Larson has 11 each. The girls meanwhile, started off with the 4-0 lead in the game, but Centerville went on a 29-2 run to break it open. Olivia Sanford had four points for Knoxville, who fall to 0-6 on the season. The boys are 4-0 and will travel, along with the girls to Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Friday.