Girls' Basketball: Howard High Heading to 3A State Semifinals After Beating Centennial

It was two seasons ago that Scott Robinson won his first state championship – at that time he was coaching the  boys' team.

Six games into the season, when asked to compare this year’s Howard High School girls' team with that state championship team, Robinson answered with a chuckle: “We have a long way to go.”

In just his first season as the coach of the girls' team at Howard, Robinson is now two wins away from another state championship.

“We got better as the year went on,” Robinson said. “We practiced hard, and you have to have success in order for everyone to buy in.”

On Saturday,  outlasted  to win the 3A East Region and a chance to play in the final four for the Division 3A State Championships. The final score was 54-43.

After losing their first two games of the season, the Lions started a 12-game winning streak with a victory at Centennial High School on Dec. 12. Their next loss wouldn't come until a month and a half later, on Jan. 28.

Throughout their streak, the Lions showed their ability to defend, get out in transition, and work the ball into the paint. Along with their size and athleticism, the Lions benefited from having uncommon depth at both the guard and forward spots.

Howard beat Centennial both times they played them this season, so the Eagles knew what to expect Saturday afternoon at Howard High School.

Centennial knew they would have to play big in order to match up with their oversized opponents. Early on, they did exactly what they needed to do.

The first quarter was low in scoring but high in intensity. By the end of the first quarter, the score was 9-7 Howard.

Centennial challenged Howard by establishing themselves defensively, both in transition and by playing great help defense in the paint.

“Honestly, we were very impatient,” Robinson said. “We knew they were focusing on the post, and in the end we made some bad reads.”

Guard Simone Wise would start strong and end strong for the Lions.

At the end of the first quarter, with nothing else working for the Lions, Wise made an unorthodox pull-up jumper from six feet out on a two-on-one breakaway. This gave the Lions their first lead of the game.

Wise would go off for 20 points on the night.

Later on, in the fourth quarter, Centennial was pushing for one last run. With less than four minutes left, Wise nailed a dagger 3-pointer from the corner to send the Eagles home packing.

Another player stepping up was Bailey Benz. With the two best post players in foul trouble, Benz got her chance to shine. Down the stretch, she was the X-factor for the Lions.

“She has a calming influence,” Robinson said after the game. “She has great vision, and she’s very unselfish.”

Benz impacted the game by grabbing key rebounds and making great passes in traffic. The senior forward made passes at the top of the key and along the baseline to set up Alauna Jackson.

Jackson played limited minutes because of foul trouble. Jackson would foul out with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter, but not before posting 19 points on the day.

“Alauna gave us some really big points inside,” Robinson added. “We really played hard, shared the ball, and made the extra pass.”

The girls have a day or two to enjoy the moment. Then it’s back to work as they prepare to play Frederick on Thursday, March 10, at UMBC’s RAC Arena.

Howard Scoring:

Simone Wise 20; Alauna Jackson 19

Centennial Scoring:

Kenitra Alston 14; Sarah Miller 12