Columnist Spencer Patterson: Centennial charges out of the gate

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Dec. 16, 1999 | 10:09 a.m.

Spencer Patterson's high school sports column appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4085 or spencer@vegas.com

At first glance, Centennial High School girls basketball scores read the way any first-year varsity squad's results are supposed to look: 53-15, 88-55 and 63-37 to name a few.

Consider that the Bulldogs have actually been on the winning side of all those results, and it quickly becomes evident that Centennial's girls team is anything but a typical newcomer.

Already this season, the Bulldogs have established themselves as one of the sport's legitimate contenders in Las Vegas. The team is the area's lone unbeaten, taking a perfect 7-0 mark into tonight's game with Green Valley.

And lest you think those victories came against the Little Sisters of the Poor, here's some food for thought: on Monday, Centennial knocked off then-unbeaten Las Vegas, a state qualifier last year, by 12 points.

So how, exactly, are the Bulldogs so good, so soon? As coach Karen Weitz is quick to point out, the success has largely been a product of experience -- a word rarely associated with a first-year program.

"I think the girls we have on the team have confidence in themselves," said Weitz, who came to the school after three years at Cheyenne. "They know they're not a first-year school without experience."

The Bulldogs feature four players who played varsity basketball last season, three from Weitz's former school and another, sophomore Darci Sandoval, from Cimarron. All four exercised their option to attend the new school -- a choice given to all underclassmen in Centennial's new zone.

Getting that quartet, along with a group of varsity newcomers that includes talented freshman Rachel Schein, on the same page has been Weitz's primary mission thus far, with the conference season still ahead.

Helping to make that process relatively smooth has been junior point guard Tenecia Jackson, an all-division pick at Cheyenne last year who has played for Weitz for six years -- first at Swainston Middle School, then with the Shields and now with the Bulldogs.

"I've coached 'T' since sixth grade, so I'd like to think we think the same way," Weitz said.

* ACTION ON THE INTERNET: Starting with the upcoming Reebok Holiday Prep Classic boys basketball tournament, Elmore Sports Group will broadcast live prep games over the Internet.

The games can be accessed through national sports website www.rivals.com, with the required sound software available for a free download on the site. Games will also be archived for future access.

"The accessibility of being able to listen to the games on your computer is fabulous," said Elmore Sports' Alex Shelton, who will call most of the games this season. "It allows people to listen to their kids' games even when they're at work."

Offered Clark County athletic director Larry McKay: "I think it has a lot of potential. It's a fledgling medium to put games on, but it's thriving around the country."

Currently, Southern Nevada is without a permanent prep radio home, although Shelton said he will air this season's zone and state playoff games on a station to be determined.

Cox Cable Channel 48 televises taped broadcasts of Friday night prep basketball games every Wednesday.

* HOLIDAY HOOPS: Centennial will host the 16-team Lady Bulldogs Holiday Classic girls basketball tournament next Monday through Thursday. The event will feature teams from California and Northern Nevada, along with local squads Bonanza, Chaparral, Las Vegas, Cimarron, Silverado, Palo Verde and the host Bulldogs. The first three days will feature pool play, with Thursday's championship game slated for 3 p.m.

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