Centennial clinches share of SWYL boys basketball title
| Saturday, Feb 14 2009 02:22 AM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:26 PM
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Stockdale's Vinny Lidgett gets all arm but no ball as he tries to stop Centennial's Cody Kessler on this drive in the first half at Centennial Friday night.
Hollywood would have billed this one as a battle between two of Kern County's best boys basketball players: Centennial sophomore Cody Kessler and Stockdale junior Jordan Burris.
And they didn't disappoint Friday at Centennial. But what Hollywood forgot was Centennial's supporting cast.
The Golden Hawks clinched at least a share of the Southwest Yosemite League title with a surprisingly easy 72-49 victory as Kessler scored 29 points and Burris 23.
"I love when it's one of the best players going up against another best player," Kessler said. "He's hands down one of the best players in this county, and that's just extra incentive."
Kessler also got plenty of help from Nick Jensen and a bevy of outside shooters.
"We've got the idea that we need to go paint, and then out, vs. out and then in," Centennial coach Alex Lee said. "When Cody gets to the rim or kicks the ball out, we're tough to guard. We've got guys that know their roles and perform their roles."
Jensen and Grant Watson each had 14 points, and Jensen yanked down 18 rebounds, providing a spark whenever Kessler wasn't doing the work.
That wasn't very often. In between Watson's three 3-pointers, Kessler scored 11 points in the first quarter, including six in a row during a stretch where Centennial (21-4, 10-0 SWYL) took a 15-7 lead.
Stockdale (14-11, 6-4) never got closer than six after that.
"Basically, we didn't really come to compete tonight. We just showed up," Stockdale coach Terence Hubbert said. "Against good teams, you've got to be ready."
Vinny Lidgett had 11 first-half points for Stockdale, but he didn't score in the second half. For a while, it looked like no Mustang would.
Stockdale didn't score for the first six minutes of the third quarter, allowing a 17-0 Centennial run that made the score 54-26 -- Kessler getting to the rim time and again.
"He's so talented getting to the rim, he's like Dwyane Wade," Lee said. "That's who I liken him to. Dwyane Wade can shoot, but he's at his best when he's slashing and making plays."
When Stockdale broke the drought, Burris scored seven points and had two backcourt steals in the span of 15 seconds.
"Jordan Burris, he's an awesome athlete," Kessler said. "We've been preparing for him all year. And we were just fired up all day for this."
By the time Burris got going, there was no catching Centennial, which can clinch the first outright league title in school history with a win at Frontier on Wednesday. That's a far cry from last season, when the Golden Hawks needed a buzzer-beater from a freshman Kessler to earn a split title with Ridgeview.
This year, the Golden Hawks have instead motivated themselves with the goal of going unbeaten in the SWYL. Lee has introduced a treasure chest to the team, and every time the Hawks have beaten a league foe in the past month, a different relic goes in.
For South, it was a Rebels' sword. For North, a Star, and for West, a Viking hammer.
This week, Jordan Burris and Stockdale came calling, and today a horseshoe will be dropped in the chest.
"We've still got to keep rolling," Kessler said. "We want to go undefeated."
