Storyline: Centennial vying for 3A Title before school shuts down
It’s playoff-time in Oklahoma, meaning that every high school basketball team plastered in each corner of the state will fill up gyms on the weekends until March 9, when all of the competition has been eliminated, leaving one team in…
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Continue ReadingIt’s playoff-time in Oklahoma, meaning that every high school basketball team plastered in each corner of the state will fill up gyms on the weekends until March 9, when all of the competition has been eliminated, leaving one team in each class victorious over the rest. And for most of those teams who will go back to their hometowns without a gold ball, there’s always next year.
Most of them, anyways.
Centennial Mid-High school, who competes in class 3A and opened its doors as a member of Oklahoma City Public Schools just a decade ago, will likely be closing at the cessation of this school year in May. Head Coach Kendal Cudjoe, who won a trio of championships during his time at Douglass High, came out of retirement to coach the Bison this year before the news came out that the school could be closing.
“It’s a pretty good chance of (the closing) happening,” Cudjoe said, “these guys know this could possibly be it, so they’re working hard and giving it all they can give.”
For the Centennial seniors, there may be an even greater motive to hoist a gold ball than to go out with a bang.
“We got a chance to go get a title and show that we shouldn’t be shut down,” said senior guard Salae Woodley. “(Basketball) impacts a lot. Everybody actually cares about the team and they come to the games to supports us.”
“I feel like even when we leave here, even if we don’t go play in college, we’ll still play basketball,” said senior wing Ky Menifee.
Just six years removed from winning their last 3A title, the Bison won back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012 in just their fourth and fifth year in existence.
And the Bison believe that success impacts more than just the basketball team.
“If we didn’t have sports, a lot of kids would be in trouble or doing stuff that they shouldn’t be doing,” Menifee said.
Centennial’s secret weapon in the playoffs will be senior Moun’Tae Edmundson, Jr, Cudjoe said.
“Moun’Tae is the only one who has played in a State Tournament when he was a sophomore,” Cudjoe said.
Having amassed over a thousand career points, Edmundson is the first player in school history to join the thousand point club. And with the impending closure of the school, he will likely be the last, too.
“Each and every day, you wanna go out with a bang,” Edmundson said. “We know that’s the news, so we’re just trying to do everything we can to end on a positive note and that’s to win a 3A State Championship.”
Time isn’t out yet for Centennial high. And the Bison plan on making the most of what they have left.
“Once you get to the postseason, to the area, to the State Tournament, even regionals,” Cudjoe said, “anything can happen.”
Edmundson has one vision for this team’s legacy.
“No matter through all the noise outside of school, we stayed focused and maintained the drive and discipline of stuff we need to do and handle business,” Edmundson said.