Last time Salina Central and Derby met up, the Panthers were without their leading scorer Taylor Shieber. The Mustangs won by six, but this would be a different ball game with Shieber in the game and the Panthers would win it 51-42.
"It was huge," Derby head coach Brett Flory said. "They've got really good players and coach Finch does a great job with them and on their home floor, obviously it was a big task."
In the first the Mustangs did a good job limiting Shieber, he didn't score a single bucket.
"He started slow and offensively we started slow this game," Flory said.
Overall, the first eight minutes of the game were a low scoring affair, the score was just 5-5 going into the second, but that's when shots started to fall.
Mustang junior Max Kuhn was on fire from three-point land in the second. He was 3 for 3 for 9 points.
However, Schreider also woke up in the second quarter, scoring six to keep it close. Going into the locker room at half time the score was 17-14 Mustangs.
Central seemed in control for most of the third quarter, Treyton Hines shot back-to-back threes to put the Mustangs up seven, but whenever Salina Central got a lead Derby stormed back.
"Second half we kind of broke the ice and started making some shots," Flory said. "That picked up our defensive energy a little bit, which isn't the way it should be and the way it was this game."
In the fourth the Mustangs and the Panthers took turns changing leads, but with just under four miniutes left in the game Shieber nailed a jumper and Derby never looked back. They finished the game strong with a solid effort from the free throw line.
Shieber led Derby in scoring with 22 points.
Salina Central had two players in double figures, Kuhn with 13 and Hines with 12.
On the girls side of things, after losing to Salina Central in the previous match up, Derby pulled off the upset 57-34.
They were led by an outstanding effort from Alyxis Bowens, who had 34 points and 15 rebounds. Madison Greenwood also was in double figures with 10 points.
Salina Central's Emily wood led the Mustangs with 18. She was 6-7 from three-point range. Shaelyn Martin also scored 12 for Salina Central
