Columnist Nick Christensen: Centennial girls drive

Nick Christensen

Friday, Dec. 17, 2004 | 9:40 a.m.

Nick Christensen covers high school athletics for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at nick.christensen@lasvegassun.com.

It was 34-9 at halftime on Wednesday at Cheyenne High, and Centennial's girls' basketball team was well on its way to its 10th consecutive win.

It's not the 10 wins that are surprising for the Lady Bulldogs this year; it's more the way they're getting them. Centennial's scores so far this year read like high temperatures in June -- 109, 92, 88, 93, 112, and it continues. Even in their worst game, the Bulldogs scored 47 points. They've already broken their own 4A scoring record five times this year, and set an overall state record for points in a game Tuesday in their 112-28 win at Cimarron.

This isn't business as usual for Centennial. This is hyperdrive, a team so disciplined and a bench so deep that no matter how much coach Karen Weitz might want to keep scoring low, there probably isn't much she can do about it.

"We're going to come out and play our game, but by no means are we trying to downplay or make anybody look bad," Weitz said. "That's not anyone's intention. It's just a matter of if we're up by two or 20 we still better be diving for loose balls, and getting on the floor, and hustling to save plays."

There's no question that the Bulldogs, winners of the last three girls' 4A championships, are a basketball factory for delivering players to major colleges.

But 112 points?

"The first impression that's going to come across, and I've heard this many times before, is the whole pressing issue," Weitz said. "In any game, no matter who we're playing, we come out and play our game, to set the tempo and to get into what our flow is. We'd like to dictate the pace of the game, whether it be a quick pace, a slow pace, whatever the case might be.

"It's inappropriate to press if you have a big lead and we don't do that. Once we're comfortable with where we're at, we back off, but we're going to continue to play aggressively and tough halfcourt defense."

And there's the key. Centennial's defense is stifling. Cheyenne, a team that's seen better days but still a quality program, mustered seven field goals in Wednesday's 32-minute game. If the Bulldogs' opponents are lucky, they get to pull off shots that end up being less-than-ideal but better than nothing. If not, they commit turnovers. With a potent offense and a short bench, turnovers most often lead to scores.

"Any one of the five kids we have on the floor are capable of putting up high numbers, as far as points are concerned," Weitz said.

She wouldn't say this is her best team since taking the reins at Centennial when the school opened in 1999, but with four fourth-year varsity players, it's an argument that's easy to make.

But what about keeping it interesting? Weitz's intensity and pressure on her players, even late in blowouts, is well-known. How can a 70-point win stay interesting?

"I don't know if bored's the word. We're trying to challenge, and they're out there still trying to achieve goals personally and as a team," Weitz said. "We try to always work on not having as many turnovers as we continue to sometimes have, outrebounding opponents, playing good defense all the time. We feel the need to play solid defense, not just be lazy because you are up by 20 or something like that."

After all, 112-28 wins mean nothing if the girls can't get offered scholarships.

"I enjoy becoming a better player," said Ashley Blake, a Centennial guard and the defending Sun Player of the Year. "You can go out and beat a team anyway. Being a better player prepares me for the next level."

Isn't that what school's about? Not playing down to make the less gifted feel good, but instead challenging and growing as an individual?

"I don't think you can just turn it on and off according to the team you're playing," Weitz said. "I just think a hard work ethic, the ability to play hard and aggressive is something they need to do."