Centennial depth makes difference in blowout win in Holiday Classic
Most girls basketball teams would be in trouble if their top player had only one point on one shot in the first half.
Centennial’s girls aren’t most teams.
Despite leading scorer Teirra Hicks being held under wraps, the host Bulldogs built a 20-point halftime lead and cruised to a 69-25 victory over El Segundo (Calif.) on Friday in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
Senior guard Tramina Jordan picked up the slack, pouring in 14 points in the first half, and the Bulldogs felt no pain with a 33-13 lead at the break.
“Any time your outside shooters can knock shots down, it makes the game more comfortable for everybody,” Centennial coach Karen Weitz said. “If Teirra’s not doing well inside, and the shooters can’t hit anything outside, then I think kids start to tense up.
“Tramina or Paige (Barber) can knock down shots from outside.”
Jordan, generously listed at 5 feet, 4 inches, also had five defensive rebounds in the first half to spark Centennial’s transition game. Barber and Karina Brandon each added six points during the half, when the Bulldogs held the Eagles to 5-for-20 shooting from the field.
“Other people can score,” Weitz said. “It doesn’t surprise me on any given night if a lot of people can score in double figures.”
The Bulldogs (8-3) weren’t done, starting the second half on an impressive 18-2 run in the first 3 minutes, 12 seconds.
Hicks had six points during the spurt, in which Centennial shot 7 of 8 from the field, including a 3-pointer by Jordan. Simone Barber’s transition layup capped the surge and gave the Bulldogs a 51-17 lead.
“As long as we want to make the extra passes and do the things that we practice, we always look pretty good,” Weitz said. “But we still have to put the ball in the basket.”
Jordan, who didn’t play the fourth quarter, finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Hicks had 12 points and nine rebounds, and Paige Barber scored nine.
Sarah Chang, Kayla Kigawa, Paige Endo and Myla Mosley each had five points for El Segundo, which beat Douglas 41-37 earlier Friday.
Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-5230.
