Centennial's big three of Tom Brown, Isaiah White and Chad Strothers provided their usual offensive punch on Friday night against Glenelg.
But, when push came to shove with the Eagles trailing by five in the third quarter against the visiting Gladiators, it was a different trio that stepped up to provide a lift.
Connor Clemens, Michael Merkey and Eli Geist all provided big baskets during the middle of the second half, as Centennial (11-0, 13-1) surged back in front and never looked back en route to a 70-56 victory.
"We've talked all season with these kids about being ready. Actually at halftime today, we said 'when you get your chance to go, make sure there is no drop off.' These are the best high school basketball players in our school and we needed them to play like it tonight," Centennial coach Chad Hollwedel said. "And, you know, they really stepped up. It was awesome to see kids contribute that are not necessarily the main guys all the time for us."
The win keeps Centennial undefeated on the season in county play.
Glenelg (4-7, 6-7) coach Jansen McMillan said the Eagles showcased why they are a first-place team after his guys had put together a 20-4 run between the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third.
"They showed why they are undefeated (in county)," McMillan said. "We made a run, but then they locked in a little bit and found another gear. They put it on us in that second half, so salute to them."
In the early stages, Centennial grabbed control behind Brown (24 points and 9 rebounds), White (14 points) and Strothers (12 points). Following a three by Strothers six minutes in, the Eagles had their first double-digit lead, 20-10.
By the end of the first quarter, following a lay-up by E.J. Fowler, the lead was 24-13.
But just as Centennial looked poised to run away with things, Glenelg found life midway through the second quarter.
The senior trio of Dom Napolitano (19 points), Matt Hammert (11) and Nick Oates (11) all began finding one another to close the half on a 12-0 spurt to surge all the way back into the lead.
"Closing out possessions was the difference. They were hot the first quarter, making shots, and then we were making shots in the second quarter," McMillan said.
Hollwedel said his guys started losing track of Glenelg's shooters, who finished the night with eight made threes.
"We knew the three main guys we were trying to take away … and we had trouble locating them and I'm not sure why that was," he said. "Perhaps it's a credit to them and how well they move for each other off of the ball. But whatever it was, we had a real lapse there."
Glenelg stayed hot in the third quarter and had built their largest lead of the night, 39-34, following a lay-up by Napolitano just over two minutes into the third quarter.
That, however, is when Clemens and the rest of the Eagles' supporting cast took a turn in the spotlight. Clemens scored five straight points, then Merkey added a three right after that to put Centennial back in front.
Then, by the end of the third quarter — following a steal and lay-up by Merkey — the Eagles had a 54-49 cushion. Geist provided the first basket of the fourth quarter and Centennial never let up the rest of the way.
The Eagles ended up outscoring Glenelg 16-7 in the fourth quarter.
McMillan said getting Napolitano back on the floor after missing the previous four games with concussion symptoms was a big positive and that his guys have to keep moving forward.
"The good thing is we got Dom back and so now we can start getting our chemistry back together," he said. "Our focus is still on getting better every day, that doesn't change. We have to have a short memory with this one. Not the outcome we wanted, but we still live to see another day."
Centennial, meanwhile, now turns its focus to a huge showdown against Oakland Mills (10-1, 12-2) next week with first-place on the line.
"Right now we have to treat every game like a big game. We've talked about how every night everyone is coming in and wants to be the one to knock us off. So Oakland Mills is that next team trying to do that," Hollwedel said. "We have to do the same things that we do every single night, focusing on being the best team that we can be against that opponent."
Centennial 70, Glenelg 56
C (11-0, 13-1): Brown 24, I. White 14, Strothers 12, Clemens 8, Merkey 5, Geist 3, E. White 2, Fowler 2.
G (4-7, 6-7): Napolitano 19, Oates 11, Hammert 11, Conners 6, Koele 3, Wade 2, Richardson 2, Davis 2.
Half: 31-30 G.
Other scores:
Howard 62, Marriotts Ridge 50 (SEE FULL STORY HERE)
Ho (5-6, 7-7): Dawkins 18, Savage 14, Noble 10, Greene 10, Okoye 4, Robinson 3, Shuart 3.
MR (3-8, 4-10): Speelman 20, Curtain 12, Talentino 10, Caffes 4, Whitacre 2, Koller 2.
Half: 37-26 Ho.
Oakland Mills 77, Mt. Hebron 58
OM (10-1, 12-2): Robinson 17, Ndiaye 17, Kiely 14, Williams-Day 13, Aaron 6, Harris 4, Stanfield 4, McFadden 2.
MH (7-4, 10-4): M. Smith 18, A. Smith 16, Linsenmeyer 7, Trapuzzano 6, Madden 6, Schroeder 4, Horton 1.
Half: 34-33 OM.
Reservoir 64, Hammond 54
Re (8-3, 9-5): Henry 19, Mierzwa 13, G. Garcia 10, Obering 10, Phillips 9, Maloney 3.
Ha (1-10, 2-12): Johnson 19, Wilcher 14, J. White 6, Wheatley 5, Whong 4, Nicholas 3, Thomas 2, Ridgell 1.
Half: 36-28 Re.
Atholton 44, Long Reach 26
A (5-6, 7-7): Mason 15, Willis 10, Carter 9, Kelly 6, Mendelsohn 2, Waterworth 1, Washington 1.
LR (5-6, 6-8): Lamar 13, Clark 6, Stamatides 3 Paul 2, Avery 2.
Half: 21-13 A.
River Hill 59, Wilde Lake 40
RH (6-5): Thomas 30, Gable 5, Mitchell 5, Sandler 5, Mentle 4, Robinson 4, Borucki 3, DiSimone 3.
WL (1-10, 3-11): David 10, Morgan 10, Cantwell 5, Bowie 4, Jordan 4, Lamptey 3, Ichrist 2, Moore 1, Stubblefield 1.
Half: 27-15