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Centennial dismantles Champlin Park to secure tie atop the Northwest Suburban North Division

By Luke Hanlon, SportsEngine, 01/30/18, 10:00AM CST

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The Cougars' Taylor McAulay scored a game-high 25 points and added five rebounds to avenge a Dec. 21 loss to the Rebels.

Centennial power forward Lexi Matthews fights against pressure from Champlin Park power forward Gabby Mocchi in their game at Champlain Park High School. The Cougars beat the Rebels 71-52. Photo by Meagan Lynch, SportsEngine

Centennial power forward Lexi Matthews fights against pressure from Champlin Park power forward Gabby Mocchi in their game at Champlain Park High School. The Cougars beat the Rebels 71-52. Photo by Meagan Lynch, SportsEngine

Click photos to view the entire gallery from the game.

Centennial shooting guard Taylor McAulay takes a shot in its game at Champlain Park High School. The Cougars beat the Rebels 71-52. Photo by Meagan Lynch, SportsEngine

Centennial shooting guard Taylor McAulay takes a shot in its game at Champlain Park High School. The Cougars beat the Rebels 71-52. Photo by Meagan Lynch, SportsEngine

When Centennial and Champlin Park went into their respective locker rooms at halftime Friday night, the Cougars held a nine-point lead over their Northwest Suburban North Division foe.

The mood in the visiting locker room was not one of celebration. It was more anticipation: The Cougars knew this Rebels team was capable of coming back.

“At halftime we were up nine and I said, ‘Could we get on the bus and go home now?,’” Centennial coach Jill Becken said.

The Cougars, ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, stayed for the second half, and they didn’t lose any of the intensity they played with in the first. They started half No. 2 on a 9-0 run, extending their lead to 18 a little over three minutes in -- and the Cougars (15-3, 6-1) cruised to a 71-52 victory from there.

“In the locker room (at halftime), we knew we had to pick it up,” Centennial junior Taylor McAulay said. “We got to keep going, they’ll come back, they’re a good team. We knew we had to keep fighting.”

McAulay was a big reason for the Cougars’ success, with a big impact on both ends of the floor. She scored a game-high 25 points and kept Erica Hicks -- the No. 6-4A Rebels' leading scorer, averaging 20.3 points per game -- to six points.  

“(McAulay) did a really good job on (Hicks),” Brecken said. “She was so active on both ends of the court; she had a phenomenal game.”

The Cougars also took full advantage of a size mismatch down low. Forwards Sara Stapleton and Lexi Matthews had identical stat lines: 10 points and eight rebounds apiece.

Brecken said attacking the paint was a big part of the Cougars’ game plan, and scoring became easier once the Rebels found themselves in foul trouble.

“If they had a smaller kid on Matthews, we posted her up some and moved Sara Stapleton out of the paint just to clear it up for Lexi,” she said.

These teams played earlier this season, with Champlin Park picking up a 58-54 win at Centennial. The biggest difference between this game and that one?

“In transition, we definitely were a lot smarter with the ball,” McAulay said. “We used Sara a lot more to our advantage this time (too).”

For the Rebels (14-3, 6-1), the difference was on the defensive end, with guards unable to cut off dribble penetration.

“I don’t know why we defended as poorly as we did tonight,” Champlin Park coach Josh Steck said. “We need to get back to basics.”

The one guard who stood out defensively for the Rebels was Miyah Dubose, who came off the bench and forced five steals.

Steck wasn’t pleased with the way his team played on Friday night. What was the message for his team after the disappointing loss?

“The big thing I told the kids was, ‘Our season’s not over.’ This was a big game, this was a very, very big game for conference and sections and confidence. We took a big punch tonight, so now, how do we respond?“

Champlin Park small forward Katie Cummings looks for an opening to score at home against Centennial. The Rebels lost to the Cougars 71-52. Photo by Meagan Lynch, SportsEngine

Champlin Park small forward Katie Cummings looks for an opening to score at home against Centennial. The Rebels lost to the Cougars 71-52. Photo by Meagan Lynch, SportsEngine

First Report

Centennial went on the road to Champlin Park Friday night, and came out with a much-needed 71-52 revenge victory after previously losing at home to the Rebels 58-54 on Dec. 21.

The Cougars, ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, scored first and never trailed. They controlled the pace of the game in the first half, taking a nine-point lead into halftime. After starting the second half on a 9-0 run, Centennial (15-3, 6-1) extended its lead to 18, and the Rebels (14-3, 6-1) never closed the gap.

Taylor McAulay had one of her best games of the season in arguably the Cougars’ most important game to date -- a matchup of the conference’s top two programs. McAulay scored a game-high 25 points and added five rebounds.

Sara Stapleton and Lexi Matthews each contributed 10 points for the Cougars.

On the defensive end, McAulay guarded Erica Hicks, who’s averaging over 20 points per game this season for the No. 6-4A Rebels. Hicks was held to six points, and had four steals and a block.

Gabby Mocchi led the Rebels with 12 points.

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