This deep into the boys basketball season, it’s been established Central is a good team.
The next step is going from good to great.
The Bobcats took a stride in that direction on Friday with a 55-45 victory at Powell to remain unbeaten in District 3-4A play.
After going 9-20 last season, the turnaround at Central has happened quickly under first-year coach J.P. Payne.
The Bobcats (20-3, 8-0) have won 17 of 18 games, and completed the regular-season sweep of the Panthers on Friday, winning 59-50 on Jan. 6.
And while the season isn’t over, Payne was able to take stock of what this season has meant to him so far, and what his team is focused on as the postseason inches closer.
“It’s been awesome,” Payne said.
“To have the guys buy in the way they have has been awesome, that’s all I can say. I didn’t know exactly what kind of season we would have. I knew we would get some wins, I knew we had the talent. But these guys have proven day in and day out that they deserve what they’re getting.
“ … We’re not there yet. Practices have become more of a thing for us to focus on the details. We’re doing a good job with our effort and our energy, now it’s time to focus on the details, that’s what we’ve been preaching and they’re starting to do that, and we’re starting to see better things because of it.
“We’re a good team, but when we focus on the details we can be a great team.”
Central sophomore point guard and leading scorer Ben Cross started Friday’s game in a rhythm, scoring the first eight points for his team and knocking down two 3-pointers.
But Powell (8-14, 4-4) muddied the waters for Cross after that, playing him physically and throwing double teams at him. It led to a sequence in the first quarter where the Bobcats turned the ball over four straight times, and Powell held a 17-14 advantage after the first.
Payne said Cross was able to adjust as the game went along.
“We had a lot of conversations on that. He was struggling at first with the pressure, he wasn’t sure what to look for. We tried to walk through some of those things and talk to the other guys about getting open as well,” Payne said.
“But he handled it really well. He made a couple of early mistakes but gradually grew with the game as the game went along. Just telling him what to look for, and he did a good job of seeing it, keeping his eyes up, hitting the open man.
“In the second half especially, I remember they blitzed one time and we hit the high post and it turned into a layup.
“ … I think we’re going to be better because of going through this. It was a really good game for us to gain that experience.”
Similar to the first meeting, another key factor in Friday’s contest was foul trouble for Powell post player Deuce Rodgers.
Through a combination of his scoring, passing and communication, the Panthers’ offense is typically in a much better flow when Rodgers is on the court.
The senior wasn’t really in foul trouble until the late stages of the third quarter, when he picked up his third and fourth fouls within the final 1:15 of the quarter.
Right before his fourth foul, Rodgers hit a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 38-35 lead.
That flipped to a 45-39 Central advantage just two minutes into the fourth thanks to 3-pointers from Ian Clevinger and Cross, and Rodgers checked back into the game, likely sooner than Powell coach Gary Barnes would have desired.
Thirty seconds later, Rodgers fouled out, and the Bobcats’ run swelled to 49-39.
“He’s a big part of their team. A lot goes through him,” Payne said about Rodgers.
“Their defense goes through him; their offense goes through him. But for us, we want to attack him, put him in some actions and try to wear him down. If he gets in foul trouble that’s even better for us.
“It’s happened in both games we’ve played them so far. And we’re just trying to make him play, make him guard, putting him in as much action as possible and seeing what he can do. There’s times he does a really good job of that, but if you put him in so many actions eventually you are going to slip up on some things.”
Central pulled away with defense, rebounding and getting to the foul line. In the second half, the Bobcats only allowed 16 points, shot 15 of 22 free throws and had several offensive rebounds.
Cross led the Bobcats in scoring with 21 points.
Rodgers, Bray Hansen, Mason Powell and reserve Darrion McClanahan all tallied eight points for the Panthers.
Payne said the collective buy in has been a big reason Central continues to come up on the right side of close district battles.
“When times get hard, they trust in the coaches and they trust in each other. They keep doing what needs to be done, and eventually it turns in our favor. It’s been really good to see.”
Article written by Matthew Lutey/5Star Preps. To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc., visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2025 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.
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