The Centennial girls’ basketball team faced a tough road last week, with three Southern Nebraska Conference opponents on the schedule.
The Broncos emerged unscathed, beating Fairbury 29-27, Milford 51-44 and Superior 47-4.
“We just take it game by game,” Coach Jake Polk said.
The Broncos fought through a poor shooting performance at Fairbury Dec. 15 but found a way to win, Polk said.
“They were good shots. They just weren’t falling,” he said.
The Broncos also struggled from the free throw line, making just 11 of 26 attempts.
Kate Hirschfeld led Centennial with 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
On Dec. 18, the Broncos hosted Milford in a cross-county clash and got the 51-44 win.
“It’s been awhile since we’d beaten them,” Polk said, adding that the last CHS win was in 2014. “It was a fun game. We were happy to be the ones on top.”
Hirschfeld led CHS with 16 points and nine rebounds. Asia Nisly added 15 points, and Jaycee Stuhr delivered six assists.
The teams combined to make 19 three-pointers in the game. Centennial made 10, which is a school record, Polk said.
He was pleased with Nisly’s performance. The senior had been struggling with confidence after missing almost two years, but she’s starting to find her game, he said.
The Broncos had a quick turnaround, visiting Superior on Saturday.
“We used a lot of gas against Milford,” Polk said.
The Broncos came out flat, letting Superior build a 16-point lead. In the second half, CHS kept its composure and started chipping away at the Wildcat lead. The Bronco defense held Superior to four points in the third quarter and trailed by one at the end of the period. Daylee Dey made a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the lead to one, and CHS went on a 9-0 run to start the fourth.
“The momentum shifted in the third and fourth quarters,” Polk said.
Nisly finished with 15 points to lead the Broncos. Hirschfeld recorded 12 points and eight rebounds.
“We were able to come away with the win,” Polk said. “They worked hard, and I’m proud of their effort.”
Centennial (5-0) is now off until the holiday classic at Malcolm starting Tuesday, Dec. 29. Polk said he’d like the team to stay active during the break, study the playbook and try not to get too rusty.
CHS will open competition Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 6 p.m. against Wilber-Clatonia. The Broncos will play Malcolm on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The Eagles (2-3) beat Bruning-Davenport-Shickley 50-38 Dec. 21 in the first round of the holiday tournament and lost to North Bend 50-27 Dec. 22 in their last game before Christmas.
