Words: Josh Horen

Last season’s notes:

The Centennial Girl’s Varsity basketball team ended the season with an overall record of 10-12 with an in-county record of 6-10. After going 3-1 in their first four games of the season, the team had a bumpy ride to the finish, going 7-11 to close out the year. They met their demise in the playoffs early, losing in the first round to River Hill High School.

New Faces:

Over the off-season, Centennial hired a new Girl’s Varsity head coach, Robet Slopek. Slopek is not new to the girl’s basketball scene. He spent five years as the Girl’s varsity basketball coach here at Centennial, claiming the Howard County coach of the year award in 2010. He then left Centennial to coach at Stevenson University in Maryland where he spent seven years on the coaching staff. Now back at Centennial, his coaching style has definitely changed the practice and impacted the team dynamic.

Junior Captain Ashley Molz said, “The coaching change has made practices more competitive and has made us work as a more cohesive unit. The team is more receptive to the new ideas and has a lot of passion.”

Expectations for the new season:

Despite having a losing record last season, the team lacks no confidence and expects to be a threat in the county. Molz said, “Our expectations are very high this season. We expect to be the team with the most endurance and a top contender in county play. We are working towards winning regionals and states.”

Missing from last year:

The Girls team will be without former captain Jasmine McCree this season, who is now a freshman in college. She was s stand-out athlete on the team and was a main source of offense for them. She was a veteran leader and someone who lead with her stellar play on the court. The Eagles will also be without former captain Sandy Eichhorn who was one of only two seniors on the team last year and had experience to help the younger talents on the team. With their departure, it makes room for Sophomore Rasa Welsh, Junior Ashley Molz, and Senior Mary-Grace Lambert to take on a bigger offensive role and take over the leadership roles.

Projected starting five:

The Projected starting five for the 2017-2018 season is Sophomore Rasa Welsh, Sophomore Brook Anderson, Junior Chandler Worthy, Junior Ashley Molz, and Senior Mary-Grace Lambert.

Good games to watch for:

CHS @ LRHS- December 15^th, 2017-  Long Reach and Centennial battled last year, splitting the season series. The Lightning beat the Eagles by 19 points in their first affair, but the Eagles came back to even the series with a decisive two point victory.

CHS @ RHS- January 3^rd, 2018- Centennial really struggled against the Gators last year, dropping both games they played. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles can overturn their recent losing skid against them this season.

CHS vs. HHS- January 5^th, 2018- The Lions are the reigning county champions. If Centennial can compete with the Lions then they will be a top threat in Howard County.

Team Captains:

The Captains on the 2017-2018 team are Junior Ashley Molz, Senior Gracie Rockefeller, and Senior Mary-Grace Lambert.

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