Centralia had a competitive match with Blair Oaks on Wednesday until after losing the third set.
The Lady Panthers' season ended on their home court in the first round of the Class 3 District 7 tournament after a four-set loss to three-time state champion Blair Oaks (19-25, 25-22, 19-25 and 13-25). Ryenn Gordon finished with 19 kills, and senior Caris Finlay had 25 assists in her final match. Blair Oaks (15-18) finished with 16 service aces compared to nine from Centralia. Gabby Horn was serving during key runs for the Lady Falcons, including a 7-0 run to close the third set that Centralia led 19-18 before that. Horn had two aces that stretch and four aces in the set. Blair Oaks then started the fourth set with a 10-1 run.
Centralia finishes the season with a 13-18 record, achieving its fifth straight season with double-digit wins despite losing the first nine matches this season. The Lady Panthers also were Eastern Missouri Conference champions in their first year back in since 2018 and were Eugene Invitational champions during a 7-3 stretch to close the season.
Look for the full story Friday on the Mexico Ledger website.
