Words: Joey Sedlacko

Basketball season is just around the corner as the 2017-2018 season tips off at 5:15 p.m. on December 8 when Centennial will be on the road versus Atholton for the first game of the regular season. Coming off an impressive 19-3 record (14-2 in county play), Centennial JV basketball looks to continue its dominance in the junior varsity basketball scene. After losing the county championship to Reservoir in a heartbreaking fashion when Reservoir sank a game-winning buzzer-beater three-pointer last year, the team’s goal this season is to win the county championship.

Head coach Christian Sanders reloads his team with 14 players.  The team is returning six sophomores and adding eight freshmen. The newcomers will have to learn the Centennial basketball system, and those returning will provide experience and leadership for the first-year players.  The team will be losing three of its five top scorers from last year, as they will be moving up to the varsity level.

However, sophomore guard Matt Schickner is looking forward to a successful season.  “The team is working hard at practice and our offense is shaping up well and we’re improving our defense,” Schickner stated.

The Centennial basketball program invests a heavy amount of time and effort into junior varsity basketball not only to prepare players for the varsity level but also to continue the success at the JV level. Over the past three seasons, the JV team has won 54 games and only lost 12.

Big games to look out for this season will be on January 3 and February 14 versus Reservoir and also December 12 and February 2 versus Mount Hebron. Last season, the team’s only two county defeats were to Reservoir by a total of a mere three points. The games versus Mount Hebron are always exciting due to the historic rivalry between the two schools.

The projected starting five are Matt Schicker (10) at point guard, Ty Sams (10) at shooting guard, Jeong Hwang (10) and Joey Sedlacko (10) at forward, and Brandon Bonner (10) at center.

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