Basketball Recap: Centura Comes Up Short

Centura suffered their biggest defeat since February 29, 2024 on Saturday. They were outmatched by the Elm Creek Buffaloes and fell 57-26. While losing is never fun, the Centurions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 160th, while the Buffaloes are ranked 29th).

Despite the loss, Centura saw an underclassman step up: freshman Taya Taukiuvea posted nine points and seven rebounds. That was a full 34.6% of Centura's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Jenna Fanta was another key player, putting up four points.

It was another big night for Ashley Bauer, who went 6 for 13 on her way to 20 points in addition to seven boards and four steals for Elm Creek. With that strong performance, Bauer is now averaging an impressive 15.3 points per game. Another player making a difference was Kendal Cavenee, who put up 12 points along with five assists and five steals.

Centura is on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-8. As for Elm Creek, the win (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 11-1.

Centura didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 36-25 victory against Doniphan-Trumbull on the 14th. Elm Creek has also already played their next contest, a 65-39 win against Wilcox-Hildreth on the 14th.