For most of the first three quarters, Lincoln-Way Central was playing well against rival Lincoln-Way West on Tuesday night.

But then things got a little bit shaky for the Knights.

Fortunately, the margins gained during the first three quarters were enough for Lincoln-Way Central to emerge with a 55-45 win.

“It’s what we do every single game,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Brian Flaherty said. “It’s like we get rattled. But we make the one or two plays that we need to solidify the win.

“If we could ever get rid of that issue and have a little more poise, I’d like to think the games wouldn’t have to be as interesting as they are.”

It looked like Lincoln-Way Central (15-6, 7-3) appeared to be on its way to a comfortable victory after Alex Panos knocked down a pair of free throws to cap a 9-0 Knight run in the early stretch of the fourth quarter and left them with a 46-28 lead.

But the continuity and decision-making that was on full display for the first three quarters practically vanished when Lincoln-Way West (12-12, 4-7) ratcheted up its defensive pressure.

And when Ryan Hegji knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:17 to play, the Warriors whittled the lead down to 50-43.

“We tend to fall apart a little bit at times and struggle to get the ball down the court,” Panos said. “We started breaking out a little toward the end, but we’ve got to get more confident.

“Instead of trying to not lose the game, we’ve got to try to win the game.”

Lincoln-Way Central laid a nice foundation for the victory in the first half, limiting Lincoln-Way West to just seven points in the first quarter while getting a balanced and varied effort from the offensive attack.

The Knights had five different players score at least five points but not more than six in the first half and went into the break with a 27-16 lead.

And they did it all while juggling some foul trouble from some key players and getting some contributions from unexpected sources such as Desmond Gill, a sophomore who wasn’t even listed on the varsity roster entering the contest.

With its full arsenal returning to the court in the second half, Panos took center stage, scoring nine of his game-high 20 points in the third quarter, helping the Knights build what proved to be an insurmountable lead.

“He’s never scared of the moment,” Flaherty said of Panos. “He wants to be the guy with the basketball, and if he makes a mistake, he doesn’t care.

“And that’s the kind of mentality and that kind of confidence that puts my confidence in him.”

Eiden Kubilius led Lincoln-Way West with 10 points.