Centennial’s early rush decisive

Centennial coach Todd Allen saw the potential trap in Wednesday’s Northwest League game. Not only were his Bulldogs traveling 31 miles to the game, but they also were set to face a red-hot Desert Oasis team celebrating senior night.

The coach’s fears were put to rest early.

Centennial opened the game on a 21-2 run and finished shooting 54.7 percent from the field to cruise to a 78-52 road win.

“We wanted to come out and establish (control) early,” Allen, in his seventh season, said. “We told the kids we need to have a fast start and a smart finish. And we kind of put it to them early. My coaching staff deserves all they credit. We had a great game plan, and the kids bought in to what we wanted to do defensively.”

Troy Brown led the way with 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Bulldogs (19-3, 6-0), who locked up the league’s top playoff seed with two games remaining.

“He knew (the magnitude) of the game,” Allen said of Brown. “I went to him and said, ‘This is time. This is it.’ Big players step up in big games, and he did that tonight. …

“This is huge because we can seed ourselves where we want. And hopefully we avoid (Bishop) Gorman until the end. But this was the first step. We wanted to win our league.”

Desert Oasis (17-9, 5-2), which had won 12 of its previous 13 games, made only 4 of 11 shots in the opening quarter and was forced to play without star player Aamondae Coleman, who picked up his second foul with 5:04 left in the first quarter.

“That was huge,” Allen said. “He’s a big part of their team. Our guys work hard in doing that and drawing those fouls. That was a big key.”

With Coleman on the bench, Centennial built a 29-9 lead after the first quarter and led 46-23 at halftime.

“They’re a great team, and they don’t lose here at home too often,” Allen said. “So to come here and have (that start), I’m just so proud of the kids. That was our goal.”

Jake Hutchings had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Isaiah Banks added 11 points for Centennial. The Bulldogs, who outrebounded Desert Oasis 36-19, led 65-33 with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.

Coleman bounced back from early foul trouble to lead Desert Oasis with 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Drevin Cannon notched nine points for the Diamondbacks, who shot 19-for-50 (38.0 percent) from the field.

Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow him on Twitter: @af_ferguson