CORONA, CA – With things in such a flux due to the pandemic still wreaking havoc on some teams due to tracing shutdowns even if the girls test negative, we shifted gears and headed to the Inland Empire on Thursday night to see Cal-Hi Sports No. 2 Centennial hosting ML King of Riverside.
The decision to alter our original plans came on Thursday afternoon just a few hours before tip-off.
When the last minute decision was made to make the trek to Corona, we called Centennial head coach Martin Woods to tell him and make arrangements required due to pandemic protocols, but Woods had to ask us to hold on because the CIF Southern Section office was calling to get information on his team for the upcoming playoffs, and we could hear the conversation because we were not on a traditional hold.
When asked by the person from the Southern Section office to give the positions of his girls he said to “put a G next to their names because all my players are guards.”
Guards indeed, and guards that extremely hard to guard. Just ask Big VIII League rival ML King of Riverside. The visitors had no answer for the barrage of the Centennial guards in a Thursday evening 89-45 home victory.
Londynn Jones, a transfer from cross-town Santiago, is a silky smooth, left-handed 4-star junior point guard that has committed to UCLA. She led the way with 25 points, including three 3-pointers, plus eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, and she did it in three quarters of action in a game that went to a running clock with Woods using all subs in the fourth quarter.
Jones, who was a member of the 2019 USA U19 National Team that won a Gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, has been invited to come back in June and try out for this year’s.
“It was kind of like a dream come true, really rewarding,” Jones said about playing for USA Basketball. “Finally, my hard work actually paid off.”
“Great players, sharing the ball to win games,” said Jones about joining Centennial this season. “It’s good to be around good players that have the same drive as you, the same dedication, so it’s just fun and every day is a competition and I just love it.”
One of those great players Jones refers to is Cal-bound senior combo-guard Jayda Curry. She’s been one of the top players in the Inland Empire since her freshman season and was the Press-Enterprise’s girls basketball player of the year for the 2019-20 season. Curry had four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals in the King win, and like Jones and all the starters in just three quarters.
Jayda’s little sister, junior guard Layla Curry, had 12 points, six rebounds and two steals.
Sophomore guard Sydni Summers, who began turning heads last summer at the San Diego Classic, added 11 points (one 3-pointer), six rebounds, four steals and two assists. The fifth starter, Cal Baptist-Riverside-bound Trinity San Antonio, is actually the tallest starter at 5-foot-8. She only had six points but added game-highs of nine rebounds, six assists and five steals.
All told the pressure defense of the Huskies forced 21 turnovers in the first three quarters.
King (8-3) got a great game from scrappy, no quit Alexis Mead. The senior guard hit two 3-pointers and finished with 20 points with six rebounds. Junior Jordan Arreola added 13 points.
“When you have the likes of Jayda Curry, Londynn Jones, Trinity San Antonio, Sydni Summers, Bella Law, N’Dya Parks, I mean we’re a small team with all guards but they play bigger than their size,” Woods said and then continued about the prospects in this shortened season. “It’s just a matter of them doing what they do, and our signature is pressure defense, sharing the ball on offense, use our size to our advantage, which is our speed. If we can box out and get out in the open, force some turnovers and run, I like our chances.”
Centennial (11-0) played on Friday in San Diego at La Jolla Country Day and beat the Cal-Hi Sports No. 8 ranked Torreys, 89-56, but the hosts were without State Freshman of the Year Breya Cunningham. Woods and his girls had a Saturday evening road game with another San Diego area team, Mission Hills of San Marcos, and they stayed perfect this season after a 79-53 victory.
From here until the CIF Southern Section playoffs begin Woods and his girls have teams scheduled that could give them a tussle, state-ranked Rosary-Fullerton and Bonita Vista-Chula Vista.
