The second-seeded Centennial Centaurs looked like they were shooting cement medicine balls in the early moments of their opening round game at the BC High School Basketball AAAA provincial championships against the 15th-ranked Prince George Polars. But their touch at the net lightened, and the Centaurs rolled into the quarter-finals with a decisive 80-46 victory.
With the Centaurs throwing air balls that thudded on the hardwood floor in the arena bowl at the Langley Events Centre, and the Polars pulling down defensive rebounds with aplomb, the underdogs from the north jumped to an early seven-point lead. But their own nervousness making crisp passes in the offensive zone, coupled with some aggressive backcourt pressure by Centennial quickly turned the tied and the Coquitlam powerhouse team was up by 11 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.
The Centaurs were up by eight at halftime and, as they improved their field goal shooting to 50% through the second half, they outscored Prince George by eight in the third quarter and 18 in the final period.
Big man Dominic Parolin led the way with 24 points and 18 rebounds, while KC Ibekwe pitched in with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Centennial takes on Handsworth tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the LEC.
Meanwhile, the Terry Fox Ravens were stopped in their first-round matchup against the Abbotsford Panthers, 90-61.
