Centennial's Jason Buren, shown during action earlier this season, scored a key trey in last week's dramatic 60-56 comeback win over Heritage Woods.
Photograph by: Lisa King , NOW
The Terry Fox Ravens still have first place in their crosshairs.
However, that goal requires them to basically run the table over the final regular season games.
The Ravens improved to 6-1 on Monday by stopping the Centennial Centaurs 62-33. A polished and balanced effort proved to be an early edge for Fox, who took a good lead in the first quarter and squashed the Coquitlam school's rally attempts.
"It was an OK start, we expect our guys to always start strong," Ravens coach Steve Hanson said. "Playing Centennial is always interesting. We've watched some video and they like to pack the paint and force you into a perimeter game.
"We prefer to get the tempo going, and we hit a handulf of threes in the first quarter to open it up."
Nic Hughes led Fox shooters with 13 points, while Trevor Casey chipped in 12 and added 17 rebounds.
For the Cents, Justin Buren tallied 10 points.
For the Ravens, it was a vital win as they continue their chase of undefeated Pitt Meadows for the league title.
Last week they upended Maple Ridge 68-34 after coming off the Vancouver College Emerald tournament with a handsome 2-1 record.
They bested Vancouver College 74-66 in the opener, and stayed close with White Rock Christian before falling 70-64.
"That was a four-to-five point game and we just had one soft quarter. There were some really good signs there," said Hanson.
They closed it out by beating Kelowna by seven points.
Earning a spot on the first all-star team was Casey, while guard Jemari Reyes was named to the second squad.
Hanson was pleased with the continued play of his bench, which provided some key minutes in Maple Ridge where three starters landed three fouls each in the opening quarter.
The 3-5 Centaurs, meanwhile, were unable to convert the momentum gained from last week's thrilling 60-56 triumph over Heritage Woods.
In a game they never led until the final 90 seconds, Centennial completed a hearty comeback on back-to-back treys from Pritpal Gill and Buren.
"They just never quit," noted Cents coach Alan Kaselj. "We were just moving the ball really well. We just kept battling and battling and kept it close enough for a couple of shots to make the difference."
It came on the heels of a 56-44 win over Maple Ridge, where Buren netted 21 points.
In other senior boys action, Fraser Heights nudged Pinetree 65-57 and North Surrey edged Dr. Charles Best 63-58. Pitt Meadows doubled Port Moody 84-42 and stopped Gleneagle 62-28.
