Adams' big night keeps Centennial girls undefeated

The Vallivue High girls basketball team learned a valuable lesson Saturday night - don't give Centennial guard Heather Adams an inch.

The senior went 6-for-9 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line for a game-high 20 points as the Patriots remained undefeated with a 63-56 victory against the Falcons.

Centennial improved to 15-0 and 13-0 in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference and swept the regular-season series with the Falcons (12-3, 10-3 5A SIC).

"I was really excited for this game and my teammates really just found a way to get me the ball," said Adams, whose Patriots also beat the Falcons 54-51 on Dec. 2. "It felt easy tonight."

Saturday night's contest at Vallivue High in Caldwell didn't start easy for the Patriots in a game that saw both teams take turns sputtering offensively in the first half.

The Falcons started the first quarter in a hurry, amassing a 13-3 lead and holding the Patriots scoreless until nearly halfway through the first period.

"The last few games we've been getting off to a slow start," Centennial coach Emery Roy said. "I don't know if we were a little nervous because it's tough playing (at Vallivue). They always have a good crowd, but I think once we settled down and got some things going, we got in the flow of it."

Centennial found its groove in the second quarter as the Patriots went on an 11-2 run in the first few minutes and scored 26 second-quarter points to take a 29-23 halftime lead. Adams scored 11 of her 20 points in the quarter.

"It was a game of runs," Vallivue coach Stu Sells said. "I just thought that when we made a run, they responded and they probably responded even stronger and better than we did.

"Congratulations to them because it was one of those games where there were several different shifts in momentum."

Vallivue senior guard Katelin Shannon tied the game 40-40 with a layup as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter. Shannon finished the game with 11 points and seven assists.

But Centennial regained the lead - and the momentum - by outscoring the Falcons 23-16 in the final frame to seal the win.

"We are going to take pride and fix the things we can and work on those" said Vallivue senior Devan Matkin, who scored a team-high 17 points with five rebounds and five assists. "We had a lot of bright spots."

Both teams continue 5A Southern Idaho Conference play next week and have five games remaining in the regular season. Centennial hosts Boise on Friday. Vallivue travels to Eagle. Both games tip off at 7:30 p.m.