Words: Zach Grable

On Thursday, March 2, the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team faced the Wilde Lake Wildecats for the third round of the 3A Playoffs.

The game started off very even with both teams playing to win. Though Centennial’s start was promising, Wilde Lake quickly took the lead and pulled away. Wilde Lake won the first quarter, 18-8.

The Eagles were down in second quarter, though they closed in on Wilde Lake. Junior Hayden Ford greatly impacted the comeback with outstanding rebounding and offensive plays. Down by five at halftime, the Eagles played, hoping to take the lead. 

In the third quarter, the Eagles came out hard. Senior Elijah White helped Centennial further close the gap between the teams  The fans roared, the players got excited, and everyone got on their feet as the Eagles showed their intensity. Still down three with five minutes left, the Eagles needed some quick points and stops to get a lead. At the end of the third quarter, the Wildecats led, 35-32.

The beginning of the fourth quarter was quiet on the boards as neither team could put in any shots. However, this changed very quickly when junior Andrew Hohmann got an and-one, hyping up the crowd. Unfortunately, Wilde Lake answered with a quick three followed by a lay-up. This silenced the fans for a short time, but yet another and-one, this time by White, pumped up the fans.

With 1:41 left in the game, the Wildecats coach called a timeout. Centennial was down three with 46.8 seconds left. Wilde Lake knocked down their free throws to put them up by five. With 16 seconds left, the Eagles were down six. A lay-up by Hohmann put the Eagles down by four with 11 seconds left.

The Eagles were unable to close the gap, and Wilde Lake won the game, 48-43.

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