Basketball Recap: Centennial Comes Up Short

Centennial was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single point away from ending the streak, but they lost a 54-53 heartbreaker at the hands of the Sunnyside Wildcats. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Golden Hawks this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 61-55 back in December of 2024.

Several Golden Hawks players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Michael Gutierrez, who went 8 for 17 on his way to 19 points along with five assists and three steals. Gutierrez has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last six times he's played. Ryan Shaw was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on ten points and nine boards.

Even though they lost, Centennial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Sunnyside to victory, but perhaps none more so than Malachi Barnes, who posted 15 points. Another player making a difference was Tanner Wilson, who had 11 points.

Centennial's loss dropped their record down to 12-8. As for Sunnyside, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Centennial will venture away from home to challenge Stockdale at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Centennial has insisted on making their lastthree contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 0-3 during that stretch of close contests. As for Sunnyside, they will head out on the road to face off against Sanger at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Sunnyside is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.