Centennial snaps out of slump, beats Liberty in season opener

For about 46 seconds Tuesday, Centennial's girls looked like the team that has won six state basketball titles.

Fortunately for the Bulldogs, that short span of brilliance was enough to overcome their otherwise dreadful shooting night.

Centennial used a 10-0 run late on four consecutive made shots in the third quarter to grab a 13-point lead and held on to defeat Liberty 53-42 in a season-opening battle of teams expected to contend for their region titles.

"We try to keep the grind on and hopefully get a team to crack," Centennial coach Karen Weitz said. "Some teams crack sooner than others. We were fortunate that they cracked then because they played us tough."

The Bulldogs made just 1 of 23 shots in the first quarter, and Tamera Williams' buzzer-beating half-court shot to end the half was enough for a 19-16 lead for Centennial, which sank 5 of 47 (10.6 percent) from the field in the first half.

"The art of shooting is lost, period," said Weitz, whose team finished 14 of 82 (17.1 percent) from the field. "These kids today don't work on their game enough, don't work on their shooting enough. They don't work on fundamentals of the game anymore. One night we're going to be hot, and the next night, you're going to have these kind of nights."

Centennial found life late in the third quarter when Simone Barber's jumper in the paint with 1:38 left gave the Bulldogs a 29-24 lead and started the 10-0 run.

A quick steal and another Barber jumper stretched the lead to seven as Liberty turned the ball over without reaching midcourt on four consecutive possessions.

Centennial's quickness gave Liberty fits all night and forced the Patriots into 37 turnovers.

"It's always our style to apply pressure," Weitz said. "We want to make people make mistakes. We always try to get a few and hope we can capitalize on them."

Still, a left-wing 3-pointer by Tali Pitt with 3:47 to go brought the Patriots within 44-39 before Centennial put away the game.

The Bulldogs weren't sharp from the free-throw line, either, making just 19 of 39 in a game that featured 57 fouls.

Paige Barber led Centennial with nine points, and 5-foot-6-inch point guard Shelby Valentine added 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

Kealy Brown led Liberty with 11 points.

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5230.