Prep boys’ basketball: Center protects home court, downs Lincoln in playoff opener

The Center Cougars boys’ basketball team has dealt with adversity this season.

So when they lost their game-long lead in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff opener to a surging Lincoln team, the Cougars didn’t sweat too much. The eighth-seeded Cougars staved off a fourth-quarter comeback from the ninth-seeded Fighting Zebras and held on for a 64-53 victory to remain a perfect 12-0 at home.

“Our first quarter was rocky,” said Center senior James Cook. “But once we locked in, we got on track, we started making our runs. I feel like that’s how we closed out the game.”

Cook led the Cougars with 16 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and a key defensive sequence in the fourth quarter. The Zebras had fought back from down as much as 13 in the third quarter, but Cook followed a blocked shot on one defensive possession by taking a charge on the next to derail Lincoln’s run.

Sophomore Jeremiah Butler added 13 points, and seniors Tim Koryaka (12), Edward Powell (10) and Alex McCord (nine) all made significant contributions for the resilient Cougars.

“We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs,” Cook said. “Our coach got fired midway through the season, so that was a struggle in the beginning. But once we figured out those bumps, we just ironed them out and got into the role we have with our new coach. We trust him, we trust our teammates and ourselves and our abilities. I think that going forward is what’s gonna help us win.”

Assistant coach Dwayne Childs said he was promoted to head coach midway through the season after Mark Telles was dismissed from the team after eight games. The Cougars had to quickly regroup before the start of Pioneer Valley League play.

“These boys can pretty much go through anything,” said Childs, a Las Vegas native who previously played at Cosumnes River College and spent time as an assistant coach at Granite Bay. “We’ve been going through a lot of adversity this year. But we like the challenge, and we practice really hard.”

Two forfeit losses sank Center’s chance for a PVL title, but the Cougars have momentum heading into the D-III quarterfinals on Monday. Center has won 15 of 17 (not including forfeits) and over the last month has been shooting the lights out from downtown.

Since Jan. 19, Center is averaging nearly 11 made 3-pointers per game, including a season-high 22 in a 113-61 win in the regular season finale against Foothill.

“A lot of teams played zone on us,” Childs said. “We just swing the ball and we react to whatever the defense gives us. It’s not too much one-on-one basketball. That’s why we hit a lot of threes, because the ball is really moving.”

Lincoln ends its season at 19-8 after a 7-5 fourth-place finish in the Foothill Valley League. Senior Jake Overbay concluded his varsity career with 14 points while battling illness during the second half of Friday’s game. Junior Beni Njomo led Lincoln with 15 points.

This story was originally published February 19, 2022 at 3:31 AM.