Centennial Basketball Faces Oakland Mills

Words: Michael Moore

Photos: Caroline Oppenheimer

On Wednesday January 29, the Centennial boys’ basketball team took on Oakland Mills in showdown of the top two teams in the county. The gym was packed and there was a playoff-like atmosphere.

Centennial got off to a 7-0 start in the first quarter, which was highlighted by a dunk from senior guard Isaiah White to extend Centennial’s lead to 9-1. The Eagles dominated the first quarter on the offensive end, defensive end, and on the boards, and it ended with a 15-9 Centennial lead.

The second quarter was the same. Senior Chad Strothers and junior Tom Brown continued their impressive games in the second, notching points when they needed to be scored. Senior Kevin Wilson was a force on the boards in the second quarter, helping to facilitate the Eagles offense. White made another exciting play, igniting the crowd with a dunk that gave the Eagles an 11 point lead. The Eagles defense stood tall in the second, helping to preserve a 30-22 lead at the half.

The third was another strong quarter for the Eagles’ offense. Brown had a very good quarter, leading the Eagles out to an 8-3 run to begin the quarter. The Eagles and Scorpions went back and forth in the third quarter, which ended with Centennial on top 43-35.

The stage was set for an exciting final quarter. Oakland Mills got big rebounds early in the quarter to pull within 3. The Eagles held off the push from the visitors, but the Scorpions’ momentum carried them to take the 1 point lead a little over three minutes into the fourth. With the visitors controlling the boards and the Eagles struggling to get calls in the paint, Centennial was in an uphill battle in the home stretch of the game. The teams traded baskets, one team never holding the lead for very long.

With the visitors holding the momentum and time running short, the Eagles found themselves down by three points. This did not seem to bother White, as he drained a long three pointer that not only tied the game, but got the home crowd back in it but energized the team. With just under 10 seconds to play, Strothers hit a free throw that put the Eagles ahead. However, with five seconds left, Oakland Mills hit two free throws that tied the game and sent it to overtime.

The overtime period was back and forth in the beginning, with the two teams once again trading leads. Brown, White, and Strothers helped score points but Oakland Mills would eventually escape with a 66-61 win.

Strothers, Brown, and White would finish with 18, 17, and 15 points respectively, with Wilson adding three more. Senior Connor Clemens and Junior Min An both finished with four points. The Eagles also got strong defensive play from Senior Eli Giest, who made some key blocks down the stretch.

 

Photos from CHS Follies

Photos and Words: Izzie Chausse

On Jan. 24, student performers of Centennial High School got together to put on a show full of music, dancing, and a lot of laughter. With comedic skits, Awkward improv, and as much ice cream as you wanted, Fat Night Follies was a hit.

Eagles’ Winning Streak in Basketball Continues

Words: Giana Han

On Jan. 14, Centennial boys’ basketball not only improved their undefeated record to 10-0, but they also broke River Hill’s six game winning streak.

The game started out slow, and it was several minutes until senior Kevin Wilson sunk a three to put the first points on the board. The first quarter ended with Centennial up 11-8.

In the second quarter, the game seemed even slower than the first half for Centennial’s offense. Senior Isaiah White’s allyoop dunk was the brightest spot of the first half, and by the end of the half River Hill had caught up and then grabbed a one point lead.

“We came out slow in the first half,” said junior Tom Brown. “We weren’t shooting well.”

However, the game picked up in the second half as Centennial, led by Brown and senior Chad Strothers, went on several scoring runs. Additionally, Centennial managed to shut down River Hill’s leading scorer for the season, Charles Thomas IV, who had previously been averaging 22.6 points a game, according to The Baltimore Sun.

“We knew we had to get him in the post and cover him well there. Kevin did well fronting him, and we got him off the boards,” said Brown. The Eagles held Thomas to just nine points, a season low for him.

By the end of the third quarter, the Eagles had pulled ahead by five with a score of 32-27. They continued to control the game with strong defense and a steady offense. Since boys’ basketball does not have a shot clock, Centennial took its time passing the ball around the perimeter as they worked the zone, looking for openings.

The Eagles then capitalized on those openings, with five players sinking threes throughout the game, and multiple two point field goals made by different players.

Centennial maintained its lead until the end of the game and won 49-39 thanks to its strong defense and several key players. Brown dominated the boards with 10 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive one in addition to his 3 steals and 12 points. He was helped by teammate Strothers who had an astounding 17 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals, as well as White (10 points, 2 blocks) and Connor Clemens (5 points, 4 rebounds).

This win will carry the Eagles on to their next game at Hammond on Jan. 16.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

NHS New Member Induction

Photos: Martha Hutzell

Words: Anna Mitchell

97 students were inducted into Centennials National Honor Society last night. Their advisor, Mrs. Bagley, delivered opening remarks, followed by a light hearted speech from the Keynote Speaker, Mr. Matchim. School principal Mrs. Hafets delivered the closing remarks. Congratulations to all of NHS’ new inductees!

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Midterm Schedule and Review Sessions

Words: Sandy Eichhorn

Centennial High School Freshmen are cramming for their first midterms ever. Teachers help them prepare, not only giving them study guides, but also holding study sessions after school. These sessions are on Tuesday, January 13 thru Thursday, January 15 from 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm. After the study sessions, the school is providing an activity bus that will take students home. Students who want to ride this bus must sign up on Sign Up Genius. Also, on Saturday, January 17, there will be an additional study session held by the CHS Honor Societies from 9 am- 12 pm.

Teachers want to help the freshman class as best they can. The study sessions are optional, and can be used for extra questions, more time with the teacher, and to further the students’ understanding of the information on the midterm.

 

Exam Schedule:

January 20^th – Period 1

January 21^st – Periods 2 and 3

January 22^nd – Periods 4A and 4B

January 23^rd – Periods 5 and 6

 

Schedule #1

TIME	Tuesday, 1/20/15 (Full Day)
7:25-9:05am	PERIOD 1 EXAM
9:10-9:40am	PERIOD 2
9:45-10:10am	PERIOD 3

RESUME NORMAL BELL SCHEDULE

 

 

Schedule #2

TIME	Wed. 1/21/15 (Half Day)	Thurs. 1/22/15 (Half Day)	Fri. 1/23/15 (Half Day)
7:25-9:05am	PERIOD 2 EXAM	PERIOD 4A EXAM	PERIOD 5 EXAM
9:05-9:25am	BREAK	BREAK	BREAK
9:30-11:10am	PERIOD 3 EXAM	PERIOD 4B EXAM	PERIOD 6 EXAM

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Photos From Boys’ Basketball vs. Marriotts Ridge

Photos: Shalini Malhotra

Words: Giana Han

On January 9, Centennial’s boys’ basketball team beat Marriotts Ridge at home, 84-62.  They remain undefeated in the county and have only one loss against an out of county team.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Centennial’s It’s Academic Team’s Success Continues

Words: Jonah Drenning

At a recent Hammond High School It’s Academic Tournament, Centennial High School’s A Team, featuring Ryan Heslin, Anant Mishra, Mohammed Khader, and Weijia Cheng, placed first, continuing their three year winning streak.

“I am very pleased with our recent success at the annual Green Eggs and Hammond tournament,” said Mishra, “Our success over the past few years has been truly extraordinary.”

Other Centennial teams also performed exceptionally well, with the B Team finishing in fourth, the C Team in fifth, and D team in ninth amongst a field of 36 teams. Even then, several of the Centennial teams were eliminated when they were forced to play each other due to the design of the event’s bracket.

Looking forward, the A and B Teams have qualified for the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence’s (PACE) tournament, in Reston, VA, and are applying to the High School National Tournament in Chicago. They are hoping to improve on last year’s respective 18^th place (out of 96) and 13^th place (out of 272) finishes from last year. Additionally, Mishra believes that their spectacular showing at Hammond did not even indicate their true potential.

“The format of the Hammond Tournament was TV style where the questions were shorter, less in depth, and based heavily on buzzer speed,” stated Mishra, “Although we enjoy TV style, our real success lies in quiz bowl, a format utilized throughout the country where the questions are significantly longer and require much greater knowledge as opposed to buzzer speed […] my teammates, myself included, believe that this is where our success can be truly measured.”

With a combination of this advantageous format and many hours of careful practice, the It’s Academic teams will be tested on June 6-7 during the PACE and on May 29-31 in the High School National Tournament.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Centennial Boys Dominate Hebron in Basketball

Words: Mike Moore

On Wednesday, January 7, the Centennial boys’ basketball team took the floor against the Mt. Hebron Vikings in the first of two meetings between the teams this season.

The first quarter saw the Eagles cashing in on opportunities at the offensive end of the floor. Senior Isaiah White helped get things started, as did fellow senior Chad Strothers and junior Tom Brown. The Eagles also came up big on the defensive end limiting the Vikings to just six points in the opening quarter.

After the dust settled in the first half, the Eagles found themselves up by six with both teams looking to gain momentum to go on a game-changing run. The Eagles would do just that.

Coming out of the half, the Eagles maintained a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter. Brown and White, who had 16 and 19 points respectively, were key members of the run that led into the final quarter.

Strothers (13 points), sophomore Elijah White (8 points), and senior Connor Clemens helped fuel a run that put would put the game out of reach for the Vikings.

A defense led by Brown, Strothers, I. White, and senior Kevin Wilson caused many turnovers in the final frame. They also held the Vikings offense to just five points in the quarter.

In the end, the Eagles won in a dominating fashion 60-38 in front of a large and energetic crowd.

Lady Eagles Take Down Undefeated Rivals in Basketball

Photos: Shalini Malhotra

Words: Giana Han

The girls’ varsity basketball team pulled off a stunning victory in a high scoring, highly competitive game against the Hebron Vikings.

From the start, the two teams were neck and neck.  Centennial scored the first points, but Hebron quickly answered.  By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles were only up 13-11.

The Eagles came out strong in the second quarter with purpose and aggression.  Senior Kimmy Eads and freshman Kelly Simmons worked hard in the paint and helped the team to score 16 more points, and sophomore Ally Driscoll sunk a morale raising three point shot.

On the defensive end of the court, senior Anna Mitchell dominated the boards with defensive rebounds, and Driscoll caused turmoil in the Vikings’ offense with multiple steals and deflections.  The strong defensive front put up by the Eagles held the Vikings to six points for the quarter.  At the end of the first half, Centennial had extended its lead by 9 points, 29-20.

After halftime, the two teams stepped up their defensive games.  The ball changed possession quickly with steals and blocks by both teams.  Hebron outscored Centennial 14-9, but the Eagle’s lead was enough to keep them ahead going into the final quarter  with a score of 38-34.

With the end of the game approaching in the final quarter, Hebron upped the intensity level.  By pressuring the Eagles and causing many turnovers, the Vikings were able to go on a scoring run and bring the game within two.

“I knew we were getting frazzled by their intensity,” said Eads, “but we just had to push it and finish the game our way.”

Mitchell took the game back into control by converting several steals and defensive rebounds into points, and Eads and Driscoll hit several crucial foul shots.

The final seconds were stop and go as Hebron used up their fouls, and several calls went their way to keep the possession under the Eagle’s basket.  However, Driscoll intercepted the pass that would have been the Viking’s last chance to tie the game, and when the final buzzer rang out, it was the Centennial team that poured onto the court.

They had beaten their rivals -their previously undefeated rivals- 52-49.

One of the factors that helped the Eagles to emerge victorious was the extensive preparation that went into getting ready for the game.

“We had a lot of our alumni [basketball players] come back and help out at the practices,” said Eads. “Every minute of every hour was intense.”

The preparation was evident in the way every player showed up for the game.  Junior Kewa Gray put up five points, senior Jordan Burk had two, and sophomore Sandy Eicchorn snatched two rebounds and two steals.  Driscoll contributed seven points in addition to four steals, and Simmons had two steals, a block, and eleven points.

However, seniors Mitchell and Eads acted as power houses in their final regular season home game against Hebron.  Mitchell dominated the rebounding stats with 11 rebounds and put eight points on the board as well.  Eads led the team in scoring with 15 points.

The Eagles will next head to Marriotts Ridge on Friday.  According to Eads, they plan to “take every game as it comes, with the same heart, same desire, and same intensity.”

Wrestling Photos

Photos: Martha Hutzell