Words: Shawn Kruhm
Photos: Sara Ferrara
On Friday, February 28, the Centennial boys’ and girls’ basketball teams played in their first playoff games of the season.
Unfortunately, the girls lost to Manchester Valley by a final score of 42-33.
Centennial was off to a hot start as they led by seven at the end of the first quarter. A breakout performance from sophomore Lauren Pellegrini gave the Eagles an early 21-17 lead entering halftime.
Despite a near-flawless first half on both sides of the ball, Centennial was unable to hold off Manchester Valley in the final two quarters.
The Eagles scored just 12 total points in the second half, and let up nine points in the fourth quarter alone. The defensive struggles for Centennial emerged as the team grew tired.
Pellegrini and senior Brook Anderson combined for 20 points, four steals, and 11 rebounds as Centennial suffered a season-ending loss to Manchester Valley.
Directly following the girls’ game, the boys’ basketball team hosted county rival Mount Hebron. The Eagles dismantled Mount Hebron, ultimately winning by a final score of 59-40.
After back-to-back three-point buckets from seniors Jeong Hwang and Matt Schickner, Centennial started the game on an 11-0 run.
The Eagles did not look back and led by as many as 24 points. Senior Joey Sedlacko led the team with 16 points.
The boys will travel to Marriotts Ridge on Tuesday, March 3, for the following round of playoffs.
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