Bulldogs floor Galena for title

Centennial girls basketball coach Karen Weitz long has been a believer that good teams learn from their setbacks.

When her squad dropped a game to Galena by nine points last month, Weitz hoped her players had learned valuable lessons.

They had.

The Bulldogs avenged the loss by rolling to a 57-41 victory over the Grizzlies on Saturday to claim the Las Vegas Holiday Classic championship at Centennial.

Sophomore Alexis Byrd had 17 points to lead scorers for the Bulldogs, who took control from the opening tip.

"It shows our younger kids are getting a lot better," said Weitz, whose squad slipped past Highland (Ariz.) in a morning semifinal to reach the title game. "I think we're a more well-rounded team than we were last month. We've gotten a lot better."

Centennial wasted no time in demonstrating that improvement. Byrd's driving layup midway through the first quarter sparked a 7-0 scoring spurt to give the Bulldogs a 9-4 lead.

"We just pushed more tonight," Byrd said. "We worked harder and played better defense than we did last time."

The Bulldogs also controlled the backboards Saturday, using a 35-22 rebounding edge to expand the lead by taking advantage of second-chance opportunities.

Courtney Hayes nailed a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to ignite another 7-0 Centennial run, helping her team take a 25-18 lead into halftime.

Weitz said her players' strong physical conditioning came into play down the stretch.

"In the end, it was definitely important," she said, "especially at the pace and effort I demand."

That pace only accelerated in the second half, when Johnna Brown scored 12 of her 14 points to help Centennial solidify its double-digit lead.

Teammate Deanna Daniels finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Langley Iverson had 16 points to lead Galena scorers.

• Centennial 68, Highland (Ariz.) 64 -- Brown had 22 points to lead Bulldogs scorers in their semifinal game.

Byrd added 14 points for Centennial, which took over in the third quarter before holding off a late Hawks rally.

• Galena 61, Durango 45 -- Iverson had 24 points to lead scorers for the Grizzlies, who advanced to the championship game with the victory.

Lindy La Rocque led Trailblazers scorers with 17 points.

• Peninsula (Calif.) 41, Coronado 39 -- Danielle Boyle scored 11 points for the Cougars, who fell just short with a fourth-quarter rally.

• Silverado 49, Eagle River (Alaska) 26 -- Natalie Lainhart scored 15 points to help the Skyhawks to a victory.

Jessica Schmidt added 14 points for Silverado, which led 27-8 at halftime.

• Elko 60, Valley 38 -- Taylor Attenburg scored 19 points to help the Indians prevail.

Vanessa Corona led Vikings scorers with 16 points.

• Carson 45, Chaparral 27 -- Gina Bianchi scored 19 points to help the Senators past the Cowboys.

Desiree Pierce and Amanda Mayes each had seven points to lead Chaparral scorers.

• Green Valley 76, Santa Fe Springs (Calif.) 50 -- Jazmine Jarvis scored 20 points to spark the Gators.

Sarah Pickus had 19 points for Green Valley, which pulled away with a big third quarter.

• Palo Verde 55, St. Thomas More 48 -- Hayley Henderson had 19 points to lead scorers for the Panthers, who rallied from a 37-32 third-quarter deficit to get the win.

• Paramount (Calif.) 67, Pahrump Valley 57 -- India Burke scored a game-high 30 points to lift the Pirates over the Trojans.

Megan Meads had 21 points to lead Pahrump Valley scorers.