Centennial girls basketball adds another championship to dynasty

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 | 10:10 p.m.

Coach Karen Weitz remembers traveling to Reno each February for the state high school basketball tournament and watching from the stands as the Reno schools beat whoever they faced from Las Vegas.

Weitz, still relatively young in her coaching career, was determined to break the trend — Southern Nevada teams hadn’t won a championship in more than 20 seasons. It took a little longer than she would have liked, but Centennial in 2002 finally won the title.

They haven’t stopped winning.

The Bulldogs on Friday beat Desert Oasis 79-51 for the class 4A state championship, using a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds from Jade Thomas for the program’s sixth straight title and 12th overall championship. It is a dynasty built diligently and designed to last.

“I was watching those games and starting to build relationships to ask, ‘What’s the secret up here?,’” Weitz said.

The initial goal wasn’t winning a state tournament. First, they had to win a state tournament game. Soon, the foundation was in place to contend every year, which garnered respect nationally — the Bulldogs are usually ranked in the top 20.

“I’m a competitor. Of course I wanted to be the first one (to win state from Las Vegas),” Weitz said.

The game with Desert Oasis went back and forth early, but Centennial used a 13-0 scoring run in the second quarter to extend its lead to double digits. It wasn’t threatened the rest of the game.

“Our practices, we condition, condition all the time,” Thomas said. “That is our strength, to be in shape all the time and wear teams out."

For seniors like Thomas and Daejah Phillips — who pitched in 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists — this was their fourth straight state title. For others, it was their first win — something not lost on Weitz.

“It was good for those girls to get their first one tonight,” she said.

Aishah Brown had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Aaliyah Ibarra had 12 points and three assists, including a 3-pointer to start the scoring outburst when Centennial pulled away.

Centennial in the past two state tournaments had to erase double-digit deficits, including two years ago when it needed a buzzer beater to force overtime. This year, it wasn’t close.

“We just played our game. We knew we had it and were confident in ourselves,” Phillips said.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21