Little River and Centralia spent the entire season a year ago seemingly on a collision course to square off for the Class 1A Division I state championship as each navigated their seasons with unblemished marks.
 
Sure enough, the titans clashed with Centralia prevailing in a battle of unbeatens in the title game.

While their paths haven’t outwardly had that same sense of destiny this season, there was still plenty of sentiment they could once again have to go through each other for the crown. And that is now the case.
 
Centralia (23-3) overcame a slow start to cruise past Quinter 53-39 in its quarterfinal game at Salina’s Tony’s Pizza Events Center. Four hours later at the same site, Little River (25-2) demolished Central Plains 57-27.
 
That sets up an epic semifinal showdown at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the United Wireless Center in Dodge City.
 

LITTLE RIVER 57, CENTRAL PLAINS 27 – About the time Central Plains’ record-setting championship run was winding down, Little River’s run of recent success was ramping up. And my how the roles have reversed.
 
Little River’s defense forced the Oilers into 26 turnovers and only allowed 26 shot attempts, holding them to seven or fewer points in all four quarters of their quarterfinal meeting.
 
On the flip side, the Redskins took more than double the field goal attempt as Central Plains, hitting 21 of 57 shots. Little River led 27-13 at halftime and 44-20 at the end of the third quarter.
 
Three Redskins scored in double figures with Havana Olander leading the way with 17 points. Arika Feldman added 14 points and Avery Lafferty scored 13 with that trio combining to make more field goals (16) than Central Plains did as a team (10).
 
Little River will look to avenge last year’s 50-43 loss to Centralia in the title game.

CENTRALIA 53, QUINTER 39 – Trailing by as much as eight in the first half, defending champion Centralia righted the ship in the second half to keep its hope of a repeat championship alive.
 
The Panthers were ice cold in the first half, hitting just 6 of 29 shots for a chilly 20.7% shooting from the floor including 0 of 10 from 3-point range. But their shooting woes didn’t completely sink them and at halftime Centralia only trailed 20-16.
 
Though they never really heated up shooting the ball, hitting just 31.6% of their shots in the second half, including just 1 of 6 from three, the Panther defense that kept them in the game in the first half swung the game in their favor in the second. Centralia outscored Quinter 22-10 in the third quarter and 37-19 in the second half, leading by as much as 18 in the final two minutes.
 
Centralia held Quinter to just four field goals in the second half and for the game forced 25 Bulldog turnovers with four different Panthers having at least two steals.
 
Hayden Kramer finished with a game-high 17 points, though it came on 7-of-20 shooting (0-of-6 from three). Josie Haverkamp added 13 and Malayna Becker gave the Panthers a huge lift off the bench with 16 points and 6 rebounds.
 
Chloe Gillespie came off the bench to lead Quinter with 10 points. But leading Bulldog scorers – Braelyn Blackwill and Kamry Getz, who each averaged better than 14 points per game this season – were held to just a combined 4 points with Blackwill going scoreless.
 

PRETTY PRAIRIE 39, HODGEMAN COUNTY 35 – No. 2 seed Pretty Prairie was outscored by nine points at the three-point line and committed nine more turnovers than Hodgeman County.
 
But a stifling defensive effort when the Longhorns didn’t turn the ball over proved to be the difference as the Bulldogs survived a sloppy slugfest to advance to the state semifinals for the second time in five years.
 
Pretty Prairie led 15-13 at halftime despite making just five shots in the half. In turn, the Bulldogs held Hodgeman County to just 4-of-26 shooting (15.4%). The Longhorns didn’t improve much in the second half, hitting 7 of 30 shots to finish the game shooting just 19.6% from the field.
 
Pretty Prairie was able to pull out to an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter and fought off Hodgeman County the rest of the way. Lauren Detter and Ava Goering each scored 10 points to league the Bulldogs while Hodgeman County was led by 11 points from Ashlynn Beil.
 

WABAUNSEE 44, SOUTH GRAY 32 – Making its first state appearance since 2021, Wabaunsee earned its first semifinal trip since 2019 with a methodical win over tourney veteran South Gray, which was making its fourth straight state trip.
 
The Chargers (24-3) will face Pretty Prairie (23-2) in Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game at United Wireless Arena in Dodge City.
 
Wabaunsee outscored South Gray in every period, leading 13-9 at the end of the first quarter and 27-20 at halftime. The Chargers got off nine fewer shot attempts in the game, but made four more field goals as they hit 16 of 33 field goal attempts in the game.
 
Talen Orton was too much for the Rebels to handle inside as she finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Reese Michaelis added 10 points, hitting Wabaunsee’s only two 3-pointers of the game.
 
South Gray, which finished 20-6, was led by 10 points from Kyndal Stapleton.
 

CLASS 1A DIVISION I GIRLS QUARTERFINAL BOXSCORES
 
CENTRALIA 53, QUINTER 39
 
Quinter … 9 … 11 … 10 … 9 … -- … 39
Centralia … 6 … 10 … 22 … 15 … -- … 53
 
Quinter (22-5) – M. Briggs 2-6 2-3 7, Gruenbacher 1-2 0-0 2, Blackwill 0-8 0-0 0, Villalaz 2-3 0-0 4, Getz 2-5 0-0 4, Johnson 2-4 1-1 6, Gillespie 3-9 3-6 10, Werth 0-3 2-2 2, Jamison 0-0 0-0 0, Beougher 0-0 0-0 0, May 0-0 0-0 0, A. Briggs 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-40 12-16 39.
 
Centralia (23-3) – Kramer 7-20 3-5 17, Thompson 0-1 0-0 0, Rempe 0-7 1-2 1, Gibbs 2-8 3-3 6, Haverkamp 5-12 2-2 13, Becker 4-7 8-9 16, Heinen 0-0 0-0 0, McKee 0-0 0-0 0, Tanking 0-2 0-0 0, Franklin 0-0 0-0 0, Niehues 0-0 0-0 0, Osterhaus 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-57 16-21 53.
 
3-point goals – Quinter 3-13 (M. Briggs 1-3, Johnson 1-2, Gillespie 1-3, Blackwill 0-4, Getz 0-1); Centralia 1-16 (Haverkamp 1-3, Kramer 0-6, Rempe 0-6, Tanking 0-1). Rebounds – Quinter 24 (Blackwill 6); Centralia 39 (Thompson 10). Assists – Quinter 6 (Blackwill 2, Johnson 2); Centralia 10 (Rempe 6). Turnovers – Quinter 25, Centralia 14. Total fouls -- Quinter 19, Centralia 15. Fouled out – none.
 
PRETTY PRAIRIE 39, HODGEMAN COUNTY 35
 
Hodgeman County … 6 … 7 … 9 … 13 … -- … 35
Pretty Prairie … 5 … 10 … 11 … 11 … -- … 39
 
Hodgeman County (20-7) – Reec 4-13 3-3 12, Beil 1-8 2-4 5, Ruff 0-10 0-0 0, Bamberger 2-7 2-2 7, Lonnberg 2-7 2-3 7, Channel 2-7 0-1 4, Cure 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 11-56 9-14 35.
 
Pretty Prairie (23-2) – Am. White 1-1 0-2 2, Detter 2-5 6-8 10, Vogl 2-6 2-4 6, Av. White 2-4 0-0 4, Ford 0-0 0-0 0, Goering 4-9 2-4 10, Schrag 1-5 4-6 7, Yoder 0-0 0-0 0, Chandler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-30 14-24 39.
 
3-point goals – Hodgeman County 4-19 (Reece 1-3, Beil 1-4, Bamberger 1-3, Lonnberg 1-1, Ruff 0-6, Cure 0-1); Pretty Prairie 1-5 (Schrag 1-2, Goering 0-2, Detter 0-1). Rebounds – Hodgeman County 37 (Reece 7); Pretty Prairie 34 (Vogl 13). Assists – Hodgeman County 7 (Reece 2, Ruff 2); Pretty Prairie 6 (Goering 2, Schrag 2). Turnovers – Hodgeman County 18, Pretty Prairie 27. Total fouls – Hodgeman County 25, Pretty Prairie 15. Fouled out – Hodgeman County: Reece, Bamberger; Pretty Prairie: Av. White.
 
LITTLE RIVER 57, CENTRAL PLAINS 27
 
Central Plains … 6 … 7 … 7 … 7 … -- … 27
Little River … 17 … 10 … 17 … 13 … -- … 57
 
Central Plains (18-9) – A. Siemsen 2-5 5-7 9, E. Siemsen 2-6 0-0 5, I. Hurley 1-1 0-0 3, Davis 0-1 0-0 0, L. Hurley 3-5 0-0 6, Robl 1-3 0-0 2, Nixon 0-0 0-0 0, Matlack 0-2 0-0 0, Robison 1-2 0-0 2, Hekel 0-0 0-0 0, Nash 0-0 0-0 0, Schlessiger 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-26 5-7 27.
 
Little River (24-2) – Strecker 0-4 0-0 0, Raleigh 2-5 0-0 4, Lafferty 4-7 5-6 13, Olander 8-14 0-0 17, Feldman 4-13 3-4 14, D. Lafferty 0-2 0-0 0, Look 3-7 0-0 9, Schubert 0-2 0- 0, Ewertt 0-0 0-0 0, McAllister 0-0 0-0 0, Crotinger 0-1 0-0 0, Wright 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-57 8-10 57.
 
3-point goals – Central Plains 2-6 (E. Siemsen 1-2, I. Hurley 1-1, A. Siemsen 0-2, Robison 0-1); Little River 7-22 (Feldman 3-10, Look 3-7, Olander 1-2, Strecker 0-1, Raleigh 0-2). Rebounds – Central Plains 24 (E. Siemsen 6); Little River 27 (Feldman 6). Assists – Central Plains 4 (E. Siemsen 3); Little River 9 (Three player with 2). Turnovers – Central Plains 26, Little River 8. Total fouls – Central Plains 10, Little River 10. Fouled out – none. 

WABAUNSEE 44, SOUTH GRAY 32
 
South Gray … 9 … 11 … 8 … 4 … -- … 32
Wabaunsee … 13 … 14 … 10 … 7 … -- … 44
 
South Gray (20-6) – Stapleton 5-10 0-0 10, Deges 1-6 2-4 4, Hixon 3-10 0-0 7, Wall 1-10 0-0 2, Goossen 2-6 1-1 6, Zweygardt 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 12-42 5-7 32.
 
Wabaunsee (24-3) – Zeller 2-7 3-4 7, R. Michaelis 3-8 2-2 10, K. Michaelis 0-0 1-2 1, Miller 1-1 0-0 2, Orton 7-10 2-3 16, Russell 0-1 0-0 0, Perrin 3-5 2-2 8. Totals 16-33 10-13 44.
 
3-point goals – South Gray 3-9 (Deges 1-3, Hixon 1-2, Goossen 1-3, Wall 0-1); Wabaunsee 2-7 (R. Michaelis 2-7). Rebounds – South Gray 18 (Stapleton 6); Wabaunsee 29 (Orton 10). Assists – South Gray 8 (Deges 3); Wabaunsee 9 (R. Michaelis 3, Miller 3). Turnovers – South Gray 9, Wabaunsee 14. Total fouls – South Gray 12, Wabaunsee 8. Fouled out – none.