No. 5 Bonanza wins showdown with Centennial

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Jan. 4, 2001 | 10:25 a.m.

The prep basketball playoffs may be more than a month away, but the Bonanza girls probably wish they started tomorrow.

The Bengals improved their season record to 17-1 -- tops among Nevada's 4A schools -- with a relatively easy 62-48 win over visiting Centennial, another of Southern Nevada's best teams, Wednesday night.

"Though this game means nothing really, it means a lot to us heading into our conference season," Bonanza coach Cathy Szymarek said. "We're 17-1, and we feel good about it."

The No. 5 Bengals' only loss this season came by four points at No. 3 Galena in an early-season tournament, on the defending 4A state champs' home floor. Over winter break, Bonanza captured Centennial's Lady Bulldog Holiday Classic, with a win over California's Antelope Valley in the championship.

On Wednesday, the Bengals took control against the No. 6 Bulldogs with a 14-4 first quarter. Forward Ronda Williams, who missed all of last season, dominated the boards in the early going, pulling down six of her game-high 18 rebounds in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Bonanza forward Seritta Coleman put the clamps on Centennial leading scorer Darci Sandoval, holding the 6-0 guard to 2-for-16 shooting in the first half. Coleman was also a factor on the glass, coming up with 12 rebounds in the game for the Bengals.

"I think we're as athletic as any team we're going up against," Szymarek said. "It's just about execution. We may not be the most fundamentally sound team in town, but we're as athletic as anybody."

With 6-0 point guard Lyndsay Gensler pushing the ball whenever possible, the hosts upped their lead to 14 points, 33-19, just before halftime, and never looked back.

Gensler led a balanced attack with 17 points, with Coleman and Jennifer Davey adding 12 and 10, respectively. Williams and guard Sarah Manning each tallied eight points for Bonanza.

The Bulldogs (16-3) actually made things interesting heading into the fourth quarter, with Sandoval breaking out of her slump to hit a 3-pointer and cut the Bonanza advantage to 45-39.

But Coleman and Williams quickly turned away any thoughts of a Centennial comeback, combining for six points in an 8-0 Bonanza run that extended the margin back to 12 points, 53-41.

"It makes all the difference in the world when Ronda plays aggressive like she did tonight," Szymarek said.

Sandoval finished with a team-high 14 points for the Bulldogs. Heather Thorson and Tenecia Jackson each scored 13 for Centennial.