After the upsetting loss to the Hammond Golden Bears on January 6th, the Centennial Eagles were looking to come up big when they met again back on the court Thursday night. After winning their two previous games against River Hill and Howard, the Eagles had high hopes for the rematch against Hammond.

The game started with the opening tip off between Timi Tinuoye (CHS) and James Turner (HHS) from the Bears. Turner got his hand on the ball but the tip intended for his teammate was immediately intercepted by Chris Peterson (CHS) and the Eagles drove down the court. Hammond, however, was the first to get points on the board though the Eagles soon followed. Both teams had limited scoring opportunities. When the first quarter came to an end, both teams were struggling to put points on the board and were tied 10-10.

In the second quarter, the game remained even as both teams stepped up their game. Centennial’s intensity rose as they began to connect more passes and move the ball around the court. Still, the Eagles had yet to take a lead over Hammond and had difficulty finishing their shots and scoring. Combined with the ongoing battle to stop the Hammond players from getting fast breaks as well a large number of turnovers, the Eagles found themselves down at the half 26-25.

When Centennial came back on the court for the second half of the game, the whole demeanor of the team had changed. The Eagles began doing what had worked for them earlier in the season: quick and efficient passing while maintaining a strong defense. Points began to appear on the board for the Eagles as they began to take control of the game. Hammond made a brief attempt at a late comeback but the quarter ended with the Eagles on top, 45-35.

Still going strong, the Eagles continued to dominate over Hammond. Centennial also maintained possession for most of the fourth quarter, moving the ball smoothly around the court. The game ended with the Eagles defeating Hammond 64-46. Keonte Potts and Omari Ringgold lead the team scoring 20 and 23 points, respectively, while several others managed to contribute to the 64 points against Hammond.