Praire City/Burnt River’s Savannah Watterson takes the ball to the hoop during her team’s matchup with Huntington on Friday, Feb. 10 in Prairie City.

PRAIRIE CITY — Friday, Feb. 10, was Senior Night in Prairie City, with the girls basketball team honoring seniors Betty Ann Wilson, Kat Ashley, Laken McKay and Burnt River’s Mercy Isenberger before picking up a 22-point win over the visiting Huntington Lady Locomotives in the team’s final home game of the 2022-23 season.

Both squads started the game cold on offense, with the Lady Panthers finally breaking the scoreless tie almost three minutes into the first quarter. A Betty Ann Wilson three would increase the Prairie City/Burnt River lead to five.

The Lady Panthers would hit four free throws following Wilson’s three to find themselves on a 9-0 run in a mere two-minute span. Laken McKay would deliver a backbreaker of a three-pointer on the next Lady Panther possession, increasing the lead to 12-0 and forcing a Huntington timeout.

The Lady Locomotives would break their offensive drought following that timeout, but the Lady Panthers still enjoyed a 16-3 advantage after one quarter of play.

Prairie City/Burnt River would spend the second quarter increasing their lead, swelling their advantage to 20 following another timely McKay three-pointer. The Lady Panthers would end the first half with a 29-5 lead.

Huntington came out in the second half with some fight, scoring the first six points of the third quarter to cut the Lady Panther lead to 29-11. The teams would go back and forth, with the Lady Panthers coming out of the exchange with a 33-14 lead.

Another McKay three would put the Lady Panthers up 36-14 late in the third quarter. Prairie City/Burnt River was outscored 5-2 throughout the rest of the third quarter but took a 38-19 lead into the fourth.

The final frame started with a Kat Ashley three-pointer that sparked a 7-0 Lady Panther run that spanned over three minutes of game time. In the end, the Lady Panthers sent Huntington packing, notching a dominant 47-25 win in their final home game of the season.

McKay led the way for Prairie City/Burnt River, hitting three shots from beyond the arc on her way to 11 points. Ashley finished with nine points in her final game in Prairie City.

Savannah Watterson contributed eight points to the Lady Panther cause, and Wilson finished her career in Prairie City with a seven-point effort on the night.

Ashley said the anticipation of playing her final game on Prairie City’s home court produced some pre-game jitters going into Senior Night.

“It’s definitely something that I looked forward to. I was super-nervous for it being my last game,” she said.

“It was a great last home game,” she added.

Looking to the future, Ashley says this team has what it takes for a deep run in the postseason. “I’m hoping we make it all the way. I definitely think we have the skill level and team for it — we just have to keep battling,” she said.

The ladies move to 18-4 on the season with a 1-2 league record with the win. Both of Prairie City/Burnt River’s league losses are to top-ranked Crane.

The Lady Panthers will start their postseason journey in the High Desert League basketball tournament at Grant Union High School on Thursday, Feb. 16 when they face off with Huntington in the opening round. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.