Returning to their home court after last week’s three-day Clarke Cochrane Christmas Classic in Ketchikan, the Homer Mariners boys and girls varsity teams took on the Skyview Panthers Tuesday.

The Homer girls suffered a one-point loss, with Skyview winning 29-28. The boys game followed, with the Mariners picking up a 52-45 victory.

In the girls game, the Panthers quickly stepped ahead and maintained their lead throughout the first quarter, building to a 10-point lead by end of the half. The Mariners came back from halftime with a burst of ball-playing energy, inching their way up to a 25-25 tie by the end of the third quarter.

The final eight minutes of the game were a close back-and-forth duel, with no more than two points separating Homer from Skyview. With three seconds on the clock, Skyview sunk two free-throw shots, ending the game with a one-point lead.

The boys game burst into action with Skyview snagging the first two points after less than 30 minutes on the floor. That didn’t sit well with the Mariners, and they fought their way to a slim 12-11 lead by the end of the quarter.

By halftime, the Mariners had widened the lead to 25-20 and continued to stay in front throughout the game, ending with a 52-45 win.

The action at Homer High School’s Alice Witte Gym continues this week, with both the boys and girls teams playing Houston on Friday and Cordova on Saturday.

The girls games start at 6:30 p.m. both days; the boys games start at 8 p.m.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.