After a pair of Bronco wins at the Malcolm Holiday Classic, the Centennial boys’ basketball team saw Heartland escape from Utica with a win Jan. 2.
Centennial beat Wilber-Clatonia 38-37 on a last-second shot by Lane Zimmer Dec. 28 to open the holiday competition.
“We played like we hadn’t practiced in five days,” Coach Cam Scholl said. “We were probably more lucky than anything.”
After trailing 35-30 at the end of the third quarter, CHS had some shots fall in the fourth, Scholl said.
Maj Nisly and Cooper Gierhan finished with 10 points each, and Zimmer scored eight, including the final four of the game.
“Lane was the right guy at the right time,” Scholl said.
The Broncos defeated Malcolm 44-39 Dec. 30. Scholl said the Clippers are a young, skilled team, and the Broncos had to make free throws down the stretch to keep them at bay.
Jake Bargen and Gierhan scored 13 each for CHS. Zimmer finished with seven rebounds.
“It was a tough, gritty win,” Scholl said.
The coach said the key to the game against Heartland was containing the Huskies’ two main scorers. That did not happen, he said.
“They outcompeted us in the first half,” he said.
CHS trailed 26-19 at halftime.
Scholl said Bronco turnovers led to easy Heartland baskets, and CHS missed some assignments on defense.
“We had a shot to win at the end,” he said. “We played good defense down the stretch to get back in it.”
After being held in check for three quarters, Bargen’s offense came to life in the fourth. He finished the game with 16 points.
Maj Nisly also scored 16.
Scholl said the goal for the Broncos (5-3) is to focus on the details – remembering assignments and plays, sprinting back on every defensive possession and spacing on offense.
“Everything we need to improve on is still there,” he said.
Centennial defeated David City 58-32 Jan. 5 in a game rescheduled from earlier this season and host Sutton Friday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
The team was to play at Raymond Central Jan. 9, but that game has been postponed because of Covid concerns at RCHS, Scholl said.
