Basketball Game Preview: Onaga Buffaloes vs. Centralia Panthers

Onaga is 0-10 against Centralia since December of 2018 but things could change on Saturday. The Onaga Buffaloes will take on the Centralia Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Onaga is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They walked away with a 56-43 win over Rural Vista [Hope/White City]. The Buffaloes pushed the score to 50-25 by the end of the third, a deficit the Heat cut but never quite recovered from.

Abbie Ringel

Rebounds (Career)

02/24/25 vs Rural Vista [Hope/White City]	10
02/14/25 vs Washington County	7
02/10/25 @ Oskaloosa	6
01/23/25 vs Washington County	6
01/14/25 vs Axtell	6

Onaga's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Abbie Ringel, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and ten boards. The dominant performance gave Ringel a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jadyn Haskin, who went 7-for-17 on her way to 17 points and three steals.

Onaga smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. They are 3-1 when they hit their own glass that hard.

Meanwhile, Centralia put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their undefeated season alive. They claimed a resounding 60-24 victory over Blue Valley. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked first in Kansas, while the Rams are ranked 152nd in Kansas), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Centralia's win was their 18th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-0-1. As for Onaga, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-12.

Onaga took a serious blow against Centralia in their previous meeting on February 7th, falling 65-35. Can Onaga avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.