Both teams entered undefeated, there was a packed gym and plenty of highs and lows for both sides throughout the night.

The Central Cyclones and Vanier Vikings met for a thrilling early season game in the Moose Jaw High School Senior Boys Basketball League on Tuesday night. Central came out of the game undefeated at 3-0 thanks to an 80-71 win over the Vikings, who fall to 2-1 on the year.

“At the end, we had a big dig in, they were up on us by seven and we dug in, played some good D, we hit some shots when we needed, we made some good plays when needed plays made and it worked out for us,” said Central head coach Ryan Boughen after the win.

The Cyclones took control of the game in the second quarter as they scored 23 points in the frame to take a 37-22 lead into halftime.

Vanier was able to get hot during the third quarter, going on a huge run that saw them outscore Central, 35-14, in the frame and move in front by six points heading into the fourth quarter.

Central's Riley Seaborn goes airborne for a basket during Tuesday's meeting with the Vikings at Central. (Photo: Marc Smith)

The Vikings’ shooters were able to get hot and some key offensive rebounding played a big part in their third quarter surge.

“At the beginning, our shots weren’t falling well and that got us frustrated, so next time we play them, we’ve got to focus on controlling the tempo and don’t worry about the shots not falling at the beginning,” said Vanier grade 11 Ronald Nyekowat.

“Our third quarter was pretty big, we kept the energy going and kept it high because when we play with a high energy no team can stop us and that quarter showed it right there.”

Despite all the momentum being on the Vikings’ side after that big third quarter, the Cyclones didn’t panic and went to work erasing the deficit early in the fourth and holding off Vanier late for the win.

“Credit to the kids, they committed to playing good defence in the fourth quarter and things flowed from there,” said Boughen. “For them it was a choice, either you’re going to dig in or not and they dug in, so good for them.”

Kyle Boughen led the charge for the Cyclones with 22 points and 15 rebounds in the win, while Ethan Johnson added 21 points. Jaxson Brownell and Hardil Khubber chipped in with nine points each.

Vanier grade 11 Riley Follensbee had 22 points in the loss, while Nyekowat added 21 points. Javan Panko also added 11 points for the Vikings.

Win or loss, there was plenty of lessons coming out of this early season showdown between two of the league’s title contenders.

“We’ve got to get better and we want to get better all the way to March, so we’ve still got work to do,” said Boughen.

“We’ve got lots of junior kids that are still coming up, so they’re still getting use to this level and we’ll be learning from here on,” added Nyekowat from the Vanier side.

Both teams are now off until the new year. Vanier will return to the court on Jan. 9 against the Peacock Toilers, while Central won’t see league action until Jan. 16 when they head to Assiniboia.

Peacock and Assiniboia met in the other senior boys game on Tuesday night with the Toilers securing a 96-44 win over the Rockets. Shae Zwozdesky led Peacock with 22 points, while Payton Chow added 20 points in the win.

Assiniboia’s Marcus Navato had a team-high 15 points in the loss.

In the girls games on Tuesday, Central scored a 62-41 win over Vanier. Sidney Booth had 11 points, while Alexa Watterson added nine points in the win. Vanier was led by Annah MacDonald with 11 points and Mackenzie Miller with eight in the loss.

Peacock cruised to a 91-27 win in Assiniboia. Abby Busch led all scorers with 22 points for the Toilers, while Kennedy Ward scored 20. Assiniboia’s Alyssa Anderson picked up five points in the loss.