MARIETTA - Walton hung tough against Centennial without two of its top players as the No. 7 Raiders fell to the No. 6 Knights, 86-80, on Friday in a battle of Region 6AAAAA rivals.

Despite playing without ailing leading scorer Ryan Harrow and guard G'Mitri Rice, who coach Joe Goydish said did not play due to disciplinary reasons, Walton (11-4, 3-2) stayed close despite a number of Centennial runs that put the Raiders' deficit in double digits.

"I couldn't be more proud of the way the kids played," Goydish said. "The kids did everything they could to stay in the game. We lost 43 points a game scoring with Ryan and G'Mitri out, but the kids were tough and they hung in there."

Picking up much of the slack for Walton were forwards Kamren Belin and Jack Kraemer. Belin, who transferred from Centennial, scored 22 points against his former teammates, while Kraemer added 21.

It appeared as if Centennial (10-3, 5-0) would take full advantage of Walton's missing talent and turn the game into a blowout at the beginning. The Knights came out firing with three 3-pointers in the first minute and a half of the game to take an 11-4 lead.

Walton bounced right as Braylon Williams was fouled on a layup and hit his free throw. Belin then made one of two free throws, and Kraemer both of his attempts from the stripe, to close the gap to 11-10 with 5:10 remaining in the first quarter.

The Raiders went on to take a 25-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and maintained a slight advantage through most of the second before the Knights went on a 7-0 run to turn a 31-29 Walton lead to a 36-31 Centennial advantage with 2:00 left in the first half.

Centennial went on to lead, 38-34, at halftime and gradually extended its lead through the third quarter to take a 58-44 advantage with 2:34 left.

The Knights maintained a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter and led, 69-58, with 5:19 remaining in the game. Williams scored on a layup, Kraemer hit a pair of free throws and then hit a 3-pointer to cut Walton's deficit to 69-65 with 4:00 left.

Centennial went on a 10-3 run to pull away again and push its lead back up to double digits, 79-68, with 1:26 left. The Knights were up, 85-74, with 28.6 seconds left before Kraemer hit three shots in the final 20 seconds of the game to narrow the gap at the end.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Walton 72, Centennial 38: Playing the nightcap Friday, the Lady Raiders got a pair of double-doubles in earning the Region 6AAAAA rout.

Bria Bourgeois finished the night with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Sarah Durdaller added 17 points and 19 rebounds. Durdaller tied a career-high in rebounds, though the tally still trails the school record of 28.

Walton (9-4, 3-2), which rebounded 55 shots as a team, was rarely threatened after jumping out to a 24-8 lead following the first quarter.