A local college basketball rivalry highlighted the airwaves Saturday afternoon on 92.1 KRLS and 94.3 KNIA, as Central played host to Simpson in an American Rivers Conference doubleheader. The Dutch and Storm earned a split on the afternoon, with the Simpson women picking up a 95-63 win, and the Central men coming out on top in a 78-71 triumph.

The women’s game was all Simpson all the way in the first half. Central shot just 15 percent from the floor in the first quarter, which allowed the Storm to take a 27-6 lead after one. Despite the Dutch performing slightly better in the second, Simpson kept pouring it on for a 49-16 halftime lead.

With the game essentially already in hand for Simpson, the teams were fairly even throughout the second half. An 8-0 scoring run by the Dutch got the deficit to within 33, but the Storm were able to extend their lead to as many as 41 in the fourth quarter.

Four Storm players scored in double figures, led by Jenna Taylor’s 21 points and 10 rebounds. Cameron Kincaid also notched a double-double, with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Kelsea Hurley led Central, scoring 17 points. Central drops to 12-10 overall and 4-9 in the American Rivers Conference. Simpson improves to 16-5 and 8-4.

The men’s game saw a 13-game losing streak come to an end for the Dutch. A buzzer-beating layup by Central freshman Drake Johnson closed out a back-and-forth first half, giving the Dutch a 38-37 halftime advantage. The second half started by Central steadily increasing their lead, eventually going up by 13 at a few different points. But a 12-0 run by the Storm helped to give them a 69-68 lead with 3:50 to play, and it was looking like Simpson was going to come back to take the win. The run was answered with a 3 by Adam Flinn to put Central back on top for good. From that point on, the Dutch outscored Simpson 7-2 in the final minutes, and sealed the win on Senior Day.

Jaden Moody and Adam Flinn each scored 20 points to lead the Dutch. Conor Riordan topped the Storm and all scorers with 21 points. But the key stat was zero offensive rebounds for Simpson in the second half.

Central improves to 5-17 overall and 2-11 in the conference. Simpson is now 10-11 and 4-8. Up next the Storm will host Coe on Wednesday, while the Dutch will host Luther on Wednesday in the final home game of the season.