Centennial (9-0) 60, Sterling (7-2) 43

STAR OF THE GAME
RAYVONTE RICE, Centennial
If the Charger junior was intent on making up for a lackluster 2007 Shootout debut, he succeeded wildly. A year after scoring four points on 2-of-7 shooting, Rice racked up a game-high 23 points while connecting on 10 of 18 shots. But the 6-foot-3 wing provided much more than offense for Centennial. Rice notched seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks — all of which were game highs or tied for game honors. And like so many other Chargers, Rice found his teammates, recording four assists.

BY THE NUMBERS
Centennial improved to 3-0 in the Shootout, and this time Tim Lavin’s team didn’t have to battle to the finish to pull out a victory. The Chargers’ previous two wins at the Assembly Hall were by three points in overtime against Peoria Richwoods and by two points against Rich South. This time, Centennial never trailed and was tied only once, at 2-2, while building leads as big as 12 points in the first half and 20 in the second half. ... Led by James Kinney’s game-high seven assists, the Chargers recorded assists on 21 of their 27 field goals. Fueled by fast breaks, Kinney’s penetration moves, and slick ball movement in the halfcourt, Centennial shot 57.4 percent (27 of 47). ... Illini signee JOSEPH BERTRAND struggled offensively in the first half before regrouping. With JORDAN JOHNSON Centennial’s primary defender on Bertrand, the 6-6 forward shot 2 of 8 and scored four points in the first two quarters. He finished with team highs of 14 points and six assists while shooting 7 of 17. ... Sterling shot 35.3 percent (18 of 51), including 26.9 in the first half. ... The Assembly Hall rims were unkind to free throw shooters on both teams. Centennial and Sterling were a combined 7 of 17 at the line. ... Sterling launched 14 three-pointers in the first half — two more than it attempted from two-point range — and connected merely twice. The Golden Warriors pretty much ditched the long ball thereafter, going 1 of 3 from beyond the arce in the second half. ... Centennial, ranked No. 9 in Class 3A, now is 2-0 against top 10 teams in the 3A and 4A polls. Besides Sterling — No. 5 in 3A — the Chargers also own a win against Class 4A’s No. 10 team, East St. Louis.

WHAT WAS SAID
Sterling coach Peter Goff on Bertrand: “He did what he could. He’ll tell you it probably wasn’t his best effort tonight. I’m sure he’s going to want to work and get better, and he’ll do that because that’s the type of kid he is.”
Centennial coach Tim Lavin: “Just a great team effort defensively. We made Bertrand earn everything he had. We talked about challenging shots and making sure they don’t get second chances, and they got very few.”

Rice on Centennial’s ball movement: “James Kinney and Bryson (Davis-)Johnson and Jordan (Johnson) looked for the open man, and me and Jeff (Johnson) kept moving down low and they kept finding the open man.

— JEFF HUTH