Winfield-Mt. Union basketball welcomed Pekin Friday night for a Superconference battle in the KCII Area Game of the Week. When the dust settled, it was the Panther girls taking game one 51-40 and the WMU boys earning the split, 55-37.

A couple of sophomore standouts got things started in the girls game as Pekin’s Anna Hadley and Winfield’s Madisen Kellogg each scored six in the opening quarter to continue their strong seasons. While things were tied at 10 heading to the second, a five-point quarter put the Wolves down ten at half. The two teams went stride for stride in the second half, but Winfield turnovers and second-chance points for the Panthers made the deficit too much to come back from. Hadley was a menace on the boards and led all scorers with 23, just beating out Kellogg who finished with 20. Pekin’s Alex Parsons and Abby Guise also reached double figures in the win. The loss dropped the Wolves below .500, something they will look to bounce back from Tuesday at WACO.

The WMU boys were next to hit the floor, in what was their home-opener. Abram Edwards followed up his double-double earlier in the week by scoring eight of the team’s 10 first-quarter points en route to a 22-point night. Carter Loyd and Jake Edwards each knocked down a pair of three’s in the second quarter helping the Wolves to a lead of 17 into the locker room. Out of the break, this lead grew to as much as 21, however Pekin would no go quietly. Sven Dahlstrom made a couple of big three-pointers down the stretch that cut the deficit to 10. The Wolves were unfazed, using their experienced roster and resilient defense to hold Pekin to just five points in the final frame. Loyd and Jake Edwards joined Abram Edwards with double-digit points, as WMU put the Panthers to bed. The win gives the Wolves their third-consecutive 2-0 start to a season with a tough stretch ahead. WMU takes on one of the best teams from Illinois Saturday in a shootout at Central Lee, followed by a road matchup at WACO on Tuesday.

The KCII Area Game of the Week, meanwhile, heads north to Lone Tree Tuesday night, for a Superconference rivalry doubleheader between the Lions and Hillcrest Academy.