State tournament up next in boys hoops

The Centennial High boys basketball team didn’t control the first half, but it controlled everything after that.

Trailing by 11 at halftime, the Hawks stormed back and outlasted Las Cruces 48–46 in overtime Feb. 29 to capture the District 3-5A tournament championship.

Las Cruces dictated the early pace, building a 13–4 lead after the first quarter and extending the margin to 23–12 by halftime. Centennial struggled to find any offensive rhythm, while the Bulldawgs capitalized on early momentum.

Centennial closed regulation with an 18-point fourth quarter, locking in defensively and attacking the paint to erase the lead. By the final buzzer of regulation, the game was knotted at 39–39.

In overtime, execution decided the outcome.

Junior guard Adriel Garza gave Centennial an early lift with a key basket, and the Hawks leaned on their interior presence to maintain control. Sophomore guard Zayden Arellano knocked down late free throws, and junior point guard Anthony Eres added another in the closing seconds to stretch the margin before Las Cruces trimmed it to 48–46.

The Bulldawgs had one final chance, but Centennial’s defense held, sealing both the comeback and the district crown.

“The last time we played Cruces at home we didn't have a great game and for Las Cruces, it was one of their better games of the season,” said Centennial head coach Vincent Carrillo. “We lose by 18 at home. We were on a nine-game win streak at that point. The guys were upset about it, so being able to get back at home for the district tournament championship was huge, big for the guys, big for the program.”

Centennial (20-8) now prepares to host Carlsbad (18-9) at 5 p.m. March 7 in the opening round of the Class 5A state tournament. Las Cruces (24-5) will also host its postseason opener at 4 p.m. that same day against District 5 champion Albuquerque (19-9).

The matchup with Carlsbad is a rematch from earlier this season. The Hawks won that one 62-45.

“I think we had one of our better games defensively and probably shooting, and they didn't play too great,” Carrillo said. “They shoot the heck out of the ball and that night they just didn't shoot too great. I think it's going to be a good matchup for us. I think we're bigger than them. They play the style that we like to play, which is to slow it down, inside-out basketball. I think it matches up really well for us.”

Unity is the key for the Hawks as they hope to make a deep state tournament run.

“We’ve just got to keep playing together and we need to play selflessly,” Carrillo said. “It’s what we've been preaching all year, just make the right play, don't make the great play. Whenever we really stick to those two things, I think we're just a great team overall.

“This season's really prepared us. We dropped some games early where we blew some 10-point leads with just lack of inexperience, lack of learning how to close out games. We've been down by 16, like the other night in the third quarter against Las Cruces. We’ve been down by 12. We've been up by 20. We’ve gone into OT a few times. We've got into triple OT, so I think our guys are pretty much primed and ready to go. I don't think there's a situation that we haven't been in yet this season, which is a good thing.”

In other Class 5A tournament action, Organ Mountain (16-11) drew the No. 12 seed. The Knights begin state play at No. 5 Hobbs (18-9) at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Mayfield (16-11) is the No. 14 seed. The Trojans visit No. 3 Rio Rancho (24-5) on Saturday at 4 p.m.

In Class 2A, Mesilla Valley Christian School (21-5) is the No. 5 seed. It will host 12th-seeded Dulce on March 7 at 4 p.m.