Boys basketball: Centennial rolls past Wilde Lake, 85-60

If there were any doubts as to what team this year's county title goes through, Centennial provided an emphatic answer Friday.

On the road, in front of a packed gym at Wilde Lake, the Eagles came out and dominated from start to finish to earn an 85-60 victory and maintain sole possession of first place in the county standings.

"We've been looking for that complete game effort and this was a great time to put it all together," Centennial coach Chad Hollwedel said. "I'm just so proud of the kids. This was a big game, at the end of a big week, and they came out and showed what they're capable of."

Omari Ringgold (26 points) and Keonte Potts (21) were the leaders for Centennial (10-1, 10-3), but on a night where the Eagles snapped Wilde Lake's nine-game winning streak contributions came from everywhere. Eight different players scored and as a team they forced Wilde Lake (8-3, 10-3) into 23 turnovers.

"Centennial played like the No. 1 team tonight … they were clicking on all cylinders," Wilde Lake coach Deon Wingfield said. "I take my hat off to them. They gave us a big slice of humble pie."

It took just two minutes for Centennial to set the tone against the Wildecats, opening the game with seven straight points.

From there, the Eagles kept going on their way to a 22-13 lead after the first quarter.

"They came out and jumped up on us 7-0 and we never quite responded," Wingfield said. "Everything they did after that, built from those first few minutes."

Wilde Lake did hang around at the beginning of the second, getting a three-point play from Dante Garner (26 points) and a lay-up by Antoine Barnes (11) to make it 27-20 with 5:15 left before halftime.

But in that closing stretch before the break, Centennial pulled away for good. A 14-1 run put the Eagles ahead by 20.

"Defense and rebounding was the difference," Hollwedel said. "It seemed like every run we made, that's what sparked us."

It was Centennial's supporting group that helped keep the lead around 20 most of the third quarter. Joe Eads (11 points, 9 rebounds) and Timi Tinuoye (12 points), in particular, battled on the glass and in transition for easy baskets.

Then in the fourth quarter, Ringgold took over with 12 points in a span of three minutes to open up a 30-point lead, 73-43.

"It was all about staying aggressive and keep attacking," Ringgold said. "We never let up and let them get back into it."

The Eagles' final total of 85 points was a season high.

Wilde Lake, meanwhile, falls into third place in the league behind Centennial and Marriotts Ridge (9-2, 11-2). In the long term, though, Wingfield says the lessons learned Friday should prove beneficial for the Wildecats.

"I hate to say it, but this is probably what we needed to come back to the reality that we still have some work to do to be the team I know we can be," Wingfield said. "Tonight was a wake up call. We're moving in the right direction, we're just not quite there yet."

Centennial 85, Wilde Lake 60

C (10-1, 10-3): Ringgold 26, Potts 21, Tinuoye 12, Eads 11, Goldsmith 6, Klima 4, Ruygrok 3, DeVries 2.

WL (8-3, 10-3): Dante Garner 26, Barnes 11, Devaughn Garner 7, Miller 7, Calloway 3, Parris 2, Williams 2, Mynatt 2.