The WACO Warriors came up just short in their girls’ basketball season opener Tuesday night, falling 43-42 at Pekin. WACO had the initial 7-2 lead after a quarter of play, but Pekin powered back to tie the game at 11 going into halftime. The Panthers took a 31-24 lead headed into the final period, and despite a run from the Warriors to get within one shot of the win, the home team prevailed.

WACO was led in scoring by senior Emma Wagler’s 15 points, while freshman Brenna Graber added eight points and hit one of the Warriors’s two three-pointers. WACO will be back in action Monday when they play their first home game of the season against Holy Trinity Catholic.