Centura switches defense, comes from behind to win school’s first girls basketball title
LINCOLN, Neb. — Centura erased a 15-point first-half deficit and defeated Hastings St. Cecilia 44-38 in the Class D-1 girls state championship game.
The victory gives the Centurions (26-3) their first girls basketball title. The win completes an impressive turnaround as Centura finished last season with a losing record and hadn’t made state since 2011.
Hastings St. Cecilia (19-8) took control early on the strength of five first-half three pointers. Centura switched to a man-to-man defense and trimmed their deficit to just three points at halftime.
The tough defense continued in the third quarter in which the Centurions held the Hawkettes without a field goal. Centura kept the lead the entire fourth quarter and secured the six-point win.
Centura….... 13, 14, 8, 9 = 44
Hastings St. Cecilia… 17, 13, 2, 6 = 38
Centura: Davis 20, Wooden 12, Christensen 6, Crawford 4, Chelewski 2
Hastings St. Cecilia: Sabatka 10, Kissinger 10, Krikac 7, Vargas 6, Parr 3, Musalek 2