Lucas is the spark

Nick Christensen

Thursday, March 17, 2005 | 9:34 a.m.

Call it the "don't blink offense."

Centennial's girls' basketball team ran it to near-perfection this season, averaging 85.3 points per game in totaling 2,931 points this season, a mark that eclipsed the state record by more than 400 points.

The catalyst for that was Italee Lucas, Centennial's hot-shooting point guard who averaged 20 points per game in her sophomore season. Lucas also had eight assists, and her eight steals a game were a vital part of Centennial's tough defense.

"I think everyone knows her natural athletic ability and her ability to play," Centennial coach Karen Weitz said. "Then she comes on a team that defensively gets down and dirty when they play. She knows she has a lot to learn about the game. As she continues to do that, her game's only going to get better."

Last year, Lucas earned her first all-state honor as a freshman, averaging 16 points, three steals and three assists a game. This year, Centennial didn't exactly rely on Lucas, but they wouldn't have scored 100-plus points six times without her either.

Never did Centennial need her more, though, than in the last week of the season.

Lucas went out in the second quarter of the Sunset Region championship game, and without her spark, the Bulldogs were unable to defeat rival Bishop Gorman for the title.

With an injured foot, Lucas came back and provided an early spark to the short Centennial roster in the state semifinals the next week, playing in pain but not risking any further damage.

"I think a true athlete and a true player will play with what they can tolerate," Weitz said. "When it comes down to the big time, nobody wants to be sitting out. She hates to lose and she loves to be part of what's going on."

And now, she has the chance to be the definitive leader on the Bulldogs squad, as much of the lineup that's brought Centennial the past four state titles is graduating.

"You put the knowledge of the game along with the skill of the game, that's going to be a tough player to face each time she goes out on the court," Weitz said. "I can only say she's going to get better. When kids continue to stick with our program, they're going to get mentally stronger every year."