Basketball Recap: Centennial Triumphs

Centennial hadn't done well against Palm Beach Gardens recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. In a tight matchup that could have gone either way, the Centennial Eagles made off with a 62-61 win over the Palm Beach Gardens Gators. For the Eagles, this counts as revenge for the 55-52 victory the Gators walked away with the last time they faced one another back in February of 2024.

Centennial's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jailyn Williams led the charge by putting up 23 points. With that strong performance, Williams is now averaging an impressive 15.3 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Waniya Fortner, who posted 17 points.

Despite the loss, Palm Beach Gardens still got an impressive performance from Latasha Whyte, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 12 boards. Whyte has become a key player for Palm Beach Gardens: the team is 9-4 when she posts at least ten rebounds, but 2-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Nahomie Jeune Louis, who earned nine points in addition to seven boards and three steals.

Centennial has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.9 points per game. As for Palm Beach Gardens, they dropped their record down to 11-9 with the loss, which was their third straight on the road.

Centennial will face off against Treasure Coast on February 6th. Centennial has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Palm Beach Gardens, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 49-41 win against Jupiter on the 31st.