Centennial Girls Basketball Falls to Oak Park in CIF-SS Open Division Pool Play
No. 11-seeded Oak Park executed its offense with surgical precision and held McDonald's All-American Cydnee Bryant to a limited role early, handing No. 6-seeded Centennial a 67–44 defeat in CIF Southern Section Open Division pool-play action Saturday night in Corona.
Heading into Saturday's contest, Centennial head coach Matt Tumambing felt his team was primed for a breakthrough performance. The Huskies had reportedly put together one of their finest weeks of preparation all season. The scoreboard told an entirely different story — and it told it quickly.
Centennial connected on just 1 of 21 field-goal attempts in the opening quarter, a stunning shooting display that gifted Oak Park an insurmountable early cushion. By the time the dust settled on Saturday's pool-play contest, the Huskies had gone 13 of 60 from the field — a dismal 21.7% shooting clip that no amount of defensive energy could overcome against a squad as efficient as the Oak Park Eagles.
"We probably had one of our best weeks of practice that we've had all season. We did so many things out of character tonight. Give credit to Oak Park — they stayed true to who they are and what they do."
— Matt Tumambing, Centennial Head Coach
How Oak Park Dominated from the Opening Tip
Oak Park wasted little time imposing its will. Ava Rogerson opened the scoring with a personal 9-0 burst that set an immediate tone, while Maya Urteaga drained a three-pointer and Maya Deshautelle added a bucket to push the lead to 16–6 after one quarter. Although the Eagles shot just 7 of 16 in that opening frame, their efficiency over the final three quarters was simply extraordinary — 20 of 31 the rest of the way, good for 64.5%.
Oak Park finished the game shooting 58.7% from the field overall — a number that represents elite-level efficiency for any game, let alone a high-pressure postseason matchup against a program of Centennial's caliber.
Karisma Flores Puts on a Second-Quarter Masterclass
The singular difference-maker in Saturday's contest was Oak Park junior Karisma Flores, who concluded the night as the game's leading scorer with 20 points. Flores was especially devastating in the second quarter, racking up 12 of those 20 points as Oak Park kept its foot firmly on the gas pedal.
Flores also shouldered significant defensive responsibility. Oak Park coach Schilling deployed her to guard Centennial point guard Armanyie Reed for the bulk of the game, a demanding assignment given Reed's reputation as an explosive, downhill driver.
"That's a tough matchup. She is a downhill driver and very fast, so it's not easy staying in front of her. It was a team effort tonight, but Maya set the tone with her defense."
— Oak Park Head Coach Schilling
Centennial's Woes: A Night of Missed Opportunities
The statistic that will haunt Centennial (18–4 on the season) is not simply their shooting percentage — it is how close they came to generating better looks. The Huskies hauled in nine offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone, yet converted just three second-chance points. That failure to cash in on extra possessions was a recurring theme throughout the night.
The Huskies also played shorthanded, missing sophomore forward Sydney Douglas, who is sidelined indefinitely after suffering a compound fracture of her left pinky finger — a season-ending injury that has forced Tumambing to reconfigure his rotation at the worst possible time.
Adding to the chaos, McDonald's All-American Cydnee Bryant picked up two fouls — including a technical — in the first quarter after being called for charging and then reacting by slamming the ball toward the Oak Park player who drew the charge. Bryant was forced to the bench for approximately three and a half minutes. With Oak Park extending its lead to 27–8 in the second period, Tumambing had little choice but to roll the dice and return Bryant to the floor despite her three-foul burden.
Centennial's best stretch came midway through the third quarter. Keleesa Howard and Armanyie Reed each knocked down three-pointers, and Bryant added six points to cut the Huskies' deficit to eight. Oak Park head coach Schilling immediately called timeout — and her team responded with a decisive 10–1 run to close the period up 54–37, effectively ending any real Centennial comeback hope.
"That was a big moment for us. Centennial is a good team, and good teams will go on runs. We just needed to understand that we don't need quick shots — we need quality shots."
— Oak Park Head Coach Schilling
Box Score Highlights
| Player | PTS | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Karisma Flores | 20 | 12 pts in Q2; guarded Centennial's Reed on D |
| Ava Rogerson | 17 | Scored Oak Park's first 9 points |
| Maya Deshautelle | 12 | Key scorer and defensive stopper |
| Maya Urteaga | — | Key 3-pointer in opening frame |
| Player | PTS | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Armanyie Reed | 8 | PG; hit 3-pointer during Q3 run |
| Talithakoum Poialii-Hunkin | 8 | Co-leader in scoring for Centennial |
| Cydnee Bryant | — | McDonald's All-American; limited by 3 early fouls |
| Keleesa Howard | — | 3-pointer during Q3 run |
Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Park Eagles | 16 | 19 | 19 | 13 | 67 |
| Centennial Huskies | 6 | 14 | 17 | 7 | 44 |
What This Means for the CIF-SS Open Division Pool Standings
Saturday's result significantly reshapes the landscape of this three-team pool. Oak Park now finishes pool play at 1–1 after their earlier loss to Sierra Canyon, but Saturday's victory has dramatically improved their positioning in the tiebreaker scenarios that will ultimately decide which two of the three teams advance to bracket play — and, critically, earn automatic berths to the CIF State playoffs.
For Centennial, the path forward is clear but unforgiving. The Huskies must travel to Sierra Canyon on Wednesday for their final pool-play game. A Centennial victory over the Trailblazers forces a tiebreaker scenario to determine which two teams out of Oak Park, Sierra Canyon, and Centennial advance. A loss, however, eliminates Centennial from the section playoffs entirely.
Even if Centennial cannot survive pool play, they would still have one lifeline remaining: a play-in game against Lakewood St. Joseph for a state playoff berth, ensuring that the Huskies' season — and their seniors' high school careers — would not end Saturday night regardless of this result.
Putting the Upset in Context
Oak Park's victory shouldn't be dismissed as a fluke. The Eagles entered as the No. 11 seed, and by conventional wisdom, a 23-point win over a No. 6 seed with a McDonald's All-American on its roster would qualify as one of the bigger upsets of this CIF-SS postseason. But the performance of Flores, Rogerson, and Deshautelle — combined with the team's collective offensive discipline and Schilling's tactical timeout in the third quarter — suggests a squad that was prepared to play its very best basketball when it mattered most.
Centennial's season record of 18–4 entering this game tells the story of a genuinely elite program. The Huskies' struggles Saturday were anomalous against the backdrop of a dominant regular season. The early foul trouble for Bryant, the compounding impact of Douglas's injury, and a first-quarter shooting performance that could only be described as historically cold all converged at once. That is basketball: on any given night, even the best-prepared teams can find themselves on the wrong side of variance.
The Road to a State Berth: High Stakes on Wednesday
The CIF-SS Open Division format gives each of the 12 selected teams a chance to secure a state playoff berth, even for those who do not survive pool play. The top two teams from each of the four three-team pools advance to bracket play, and those eight teams earn automatic state berths. The four pool cellar-dwellers then compete in play-in games for the remaining state slots.
For Centennial, Wednesday's trip to Sierra Canyon represents one of the most consequential games in the program's recent history. Sierra Canyon is a perennial powerhouse, and the Huskies will need Bryant — healthy and out of foul trouble — at the absolute height of her game if they are to extend their season and force their way back into the conversation.
For Oak Park, the wait begins. The Eagles now know they did their part. Whether that 1–1 pool-play record proves sufficient depends entirely on what happens Wednesday night in Chatsworth.
Regardless of how the rest of the postseason unfolds, Saturday's game offered a compelling reminder of what makes high school basketball such a captivating spectacle: on any given night, the scoreboard does not care about seeds, stars, or practice records. It only cares about execution. And on February 15, 2026, Oak Park executed better than anyone could have predicted.
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