NORTH BEND - Two of Nebraska's premier girls basketball program's dueled in an East Husker rivalry on Thursday night, with the Pender Pendragons defeating the North Bend Central Tigers, 64-51.

These talented teams, who have a combined 7 State Titles  from the previous 6 seasons, are a consistent battle in the conference. The Pendragon's entered the match as winners of the last four against the Tigers.

Pender got off to a hot start in the first quarter, jumping out to an 11-2 lead. North Bend Central closed the gap a little, but still trailed 19-12 after one quarter.

In the second, the Pendragons continued to slightly outpace the Tigers, turning turnovers to points and finding great looks from both under the basket and beyond the arch. Pender led by 11 at halftime.

The early start for Pender ended up being the biggest factor, as NBC's offense continued to fight. The Tigers and Pendragons continued to keep pace with each other, but ultimately, North Bend Central couldn't make up enough ground.

Pender closed out the game with the 13-point victory, giving them a 5-0 record and their fifth straight win over the Tigers.

Hadley Walsh led the way for Pender with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Myra Hansen had an impressive night, scoring 16 points with 8 boards.

North Bend Central was led by Reece Peterson's 18-point outing, with Lauren Sterup adding 12 points.

Pender--19/14/20/11 = 64

NBC-----12/10/15/14 = 51