Category: Sports

Sports

Girls’ Basketball Falls to Howard

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Eliza Andrew

On Thursday, February 14, the girls’ Varsity basketball team hosted Howard High School.

The support from fans decked out in white would prove to not be enough, as Centennial fell to Howard by a final score of 47-32.

Despite the devastating loss, the team was able to raise money through a successful raffle with numerous prizes donated from various parents and teachers. All of the money gained from the raffle was donated to the Zaching Against Cancer Foundation.

Although Centennial was eventually defeated, they put up a strong fight and led for much of the game.

Neither team wasted any time at the start of the game. Centennial took a quick three-point lead due to an early block from junior Rasa Welsh, followed by a tough bucket in transition.

Following the energizing play, Howard began pressing Centennial. Their full-court pressure would eventually lead to several consecutive turnovers as Howard closed out the first quarter, leading 15-10.

Howard’s full-court, defensive pressure continued to be a problem for Centennial throughout the game. Despite their struggle to move the ball off the in-bound, the Eagles found a way to score in transition. Junior Brook Anderson nailed two, big-time three-pointers in the second quarter to keep the girls in the game.

Entering halftime tied at 19, Welsh led the team with three blocks, five rebounds, and four points.

The third quarter began slow, but the pace picked up rapidly. Both sides dominated on offense, but struggled on defense.

Howard led by a score of 31-27 at the end of the third quarter.

Opening the final quarter with a 6-0 run, Howard created a large deficit that Centennial could not overcome.

The Eagles were defeated by a final score of 47-32. The girls will look to bounce back as they travel to Wilde Lake this Friday night.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Sports

Boys Basketball Loses to Reservoir, 56-54

Words: Emily Hollwedel

Photos: Delanie Tucker

On February 12, the Centennial Boys’ Varsity Basketball team took on Reservoir High School. It was also the team’s Senior Night. After the seniors from the drill team and basketball team walked onto the court and took photos, the game began.

At the tip-off, Centennial struggled to make shots and stand their ground to keep the ball in play. Four fouls were given to both teams, and the first quarter concluded with Reservoir in the lead, with a score of 13-8.

Second quarter was more of the same, but Centennial managed to score more points after a time out that allowed them to pick up speed. A boost of motivation came along with an impressive steal from Centennial to make a basket. The quarter finished 25-17, and Reservoir was still ahead.

The rise and fall of energy kept the third quarter score rather steady. Eventually, the points climbed up to 41-31, and Reservoir remained in the lead.

The Eagles kept up the fight in the fourth quarter. Several fouls shots allowed the Eagles to catch up with two minutes left, and a timeout helped the team greatly. Several impressive three-pointers set up an opportunity for the win, but in the end, the game finished with a final score of 56-54.

Centennial will take on the Lions at Howard High School on Thursday at 5:30pm.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Sports

Centennial Celebrates Six New Members Inducted into the CHS Athletics Hall of Fame

Words: Joey Sedlacko

Photos: Zach Grable

On Saturday, February 9, Centennial High School inducted six new members into the Centennial High School Athletics Hall of Fame. The Class of 2019 included Alex Ashcroft, Don Augustin, Jonathan Dupski, Anna Mitchell, Kevin O’Connor, and Sarah Parks.

The inductees were nominated by athletic coaches at Centennial for their outstanding achievements in Centennial athletics during their high school careers.

The ceremony took place in the gym before the boys’ Varsity basketball game.  A list of the accomplishments by each of the inductees was read by the PA announcer as the inductees walked across the basketball court to accept their Hall of Fame plaque.

Sarah Parks was not in attendance for the ceremony, but expressed her utmost gratitude for the award.

The Hall of Fame plaques for the 2019 class will be hung above the gymnasium doors along with the rest of the plaques for the Centennial Athletic Hall of Fame.

After the ceremony, the Centennial boys’ Varsity basketball team defeated Long Reach High School 61-57 to improve to 10-7 overall and 8-4 in the county. 11 three-pointers by Centennial lifted the team to victory on Saturday evening.

The Eagles were led by seniors Stafford Smith and Ryan Hollwedel. Smith scored a game high 22 points while Hollwedel added 15 to help the team defeat the Lightning.

The boys’ Varsity team will celebrate Senior Night as they take on Reservoir High School on Tuesday, February 12 at 5:30pm.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Sports

Centennial Girls Dominate in Rematch Against Rival Mount Hebron

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Adithi Soogoor

With a devastating loss in early December on their minds, the Girls’ Varsity basketball team hosted a rematch against archrival Mount Hebron.

On December 12, Centennial traveled to Mount Hebron High School, only to be defeated by a final score of 46-32. After nearly two months of preparation, the Eagles were able to get their revenge, and they did not disappoint.

On Monday, February 4, The Centennial Girls’ Varsity basketball team defeated the Mount Hebron Vikings by a score of 56-48.

Despite the victory, the Eagles struggled early on. Mount Hebron took a 6-0 lead after just two minutes of play.

After a timeout from Coach Rob Slopek with four minutes remaining in the first quarter, Centennial was able to put it all together.

Following the timeout, seniors Ashley Molz and Jordan Dossett each had crowd energizing blocks on back-to-back defensive possessions. The defensive stops greatly fueled the team, as they entered the second quarter trailing 15-14.

Despite junior Brook Anderson’s three-point struggles throughout the game, she made several clutch plays, including shooting six-for-six from the line. Down three points, Anderson nailed a deep shot from beyond the arc, tying the game at 17.

After several minutes of play, Centennial found themselves down five; however, they would not give in.

To close out the first half, The Eagles went on an 11-0 run, capped off by a contested three-pointer from Anderson. They led Mount Hebron 30-24, heading into halftime.

The third quarter was dominated by junior Rasa Welsh. Welsh recorded her first block of the game and carried the team on both sides of the court.

Centennial struggled during the opening minutes of the second half, but figured out how to guard Hebron with their zone defense.

Welsh scored nine points in the third quarter alone. After recording her third steal of the night, Welsh carried the ball down the court. With just three seconds remaining in the third quarter, Welsh shot a contested three-pointer. To Mount Hebron’s dismay, Welsh hit the buzzer-beating shot that put the Eagles up 12 points.

“I was just focused on defense and making sure they did not score,” said Welsh. “I got the steal and saw three seconds on the clock. I shot it, and sure enough it went in.”

Hebron began the fourth quarter strong, scoring several quick points, but fell short of Centennial. Molz hit a crucial three-pointer with few minutes remaining to put the game out of reach.

Centennial won by a final score of 56-48.

“It was super important to get this win over Hebron,” said Welsh. “Having lost to them at the beginning of the season and then coming back and beating them by eight [points] was amazing!”

Welsh led the team in scoring, finishing with 21 points, one block, and four steals. Anderson followed, scoring 17 points of her own.

Centennial will look to improve their record this Friday against Long Reach at 7:00pm.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Sports

Centennial Indoor Track Competes in Howard County Indoor Track Championship

Words: Joey Sedlacko

On Tuesday, January 15, the Centennial Indoor Track team competed in the Howard County Indoor Track Championships at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex. The boys’ team placed sixth with 43.5 points, and the girls’ team placed fifth with 64 points. Numerous athletes finished in the top five in their event.

In the running events for the boys’ team, junior Zack Garwacki placed fourth in the 55 meter hurdles. Also, senior Justin Ziegler finished fifth in the 1600 meter run. Centennial’s 4×400 meter relay team consisting of Marco Ayhon, Thomas Altman, Tyler Dan, and Jake Muma placed third. For the field events, junior Chris Wagner took home fourth place in the high jump. Junior Jack Ragonese performed well in the shot jump and also earned himself a fourth place finish. Junior Anthony Matthews was the county runner-up in the triple jump.

The girls’ team continued their success in the long distance running events. In the 1600 meter run, senior Alison Betler was the county champion and senior Cora Blount was the county runner-up. However, in the 3200 meter run, Blount was the one to win the the county championship, while Betler placed fourth in the race. Betler’s success did not end there though, as she secured second place in the 800 meters as well. The Eagles’ 4×800 meter relay team, made up of Katie Pistner, Caroline Shimeall, Marisa Thomas, and Joyce Zhang, placed fourth in their event. In the field events, senior Moroti Adewole finished third in the shot put.

The Centennial Indoor Track team will continue to improve knowing the regional meet will take place on February 5.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Sports

Centennial Boys’ Basketball Falls Short Against River Hill

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Jenna Torres

On Wednesday, January 16, the Centennial Boys’ basketball team was defeated by River Hill, 50-35.

Centennial kept the score close throughout the entire game. It was not until the fourth quarter that River Hill took a lead that the Eagles were unable to recover from.

Although River Hill held an 8-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, Centennial dominated at the start of the game. Throughout the entire first half, the Eagles played strong defense. Due to immense pressure, they caused several turnovers.

Despite countless offensive possessions, Centennial was unable to convert on many instances.

Assisted by the defense, they held River Hill to just 18 first half-points, and entered halftime trailing 18-15.

As play resumed, Centennial’s offensive struggles only worsened and their defense began to fall apart. They turned over the ball on numerous occasions, resulting in fast break opportunities for River Hill.

Lead scorer junior Joey Sedlacko said, “We struggled with taking care of the ball. We could have attacked the basket more instead of settling for jump shots.”

Centennial trailed by eight points at the end of the third quarter.

The Eagles did not move the ball well in the final quarter. River Hill went on a 13-0 run after taking advantage of several consecutive turnovers. Centennial allowed 19 points in the fourth quarter and lost by a final score of 50-35.

“In the fourth quarter we turned the ball over too many times,” said Sedlacko.  “[Turnovers] led to transition points for River Hill, which widened their lead.”

The loss to River Hill was Centennial’s second in-county loss this season. They look to improve their 7-5 record this Friday as they travel to take on Oakland Mills at 7:00pm.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.