Much like every other game Corona Centennial has played in this season, there will be a noticeable size advantage for the opposition when they step onto the floor Saturday night.
However, unlike every other game they've played in this season, the stakes will be higher than they've been all year. There will be a CIF Championship on the line when Corona Centennial takes on Long Beach Poly Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena in the Division 1-AA Final.
"All five [Poly starters] are bigger than us at every position," said Huskies head coach Josh Giles, who's making his second sectional final appearance as head coach of Corona Centennial. "Their bread and butter is inside and we've got to try really, really hard to get them out of that."
The inside presence for the Jackrabbits is 6-8 senior Ryan Anderson, the team's leading scorer. Anderson has eight games of 20 or more points and 15 double-doubles this season.
Anderson is coming off an 11-point, 11-rebound performance in Poly's 60-53 semifinal win over Etiwanda.
Giles list of worries doesn't end with Anderson. Sophomore Roschon Prince paced the Jackrabbits' Tuesday night with 19 points, including two key baskets in the game's final minute. Prince was also the star on the defensive end frustrating Etiwanda's Byron Wesley. Alexis Moore (6-2), is a big point guard who is able to use his size to get into the paint.
"They're a great team. There's a reason why they've been No. 1 in the state all year," Giles said of Long Beach Poly. "There's a reason why they've been one of the top-five teams in the country all year.
"They're good"
For the Huskies to make it out of the semifinal round, it was a tale of two halves. In the first half against Mater Dei, they were not able to pressure the basketball the way they wanted to defensively and entered the locker room facing a 12-point halftime deficit. The Monarchs shot 67 percent from the field in that first half.
After their slow first half start, the Huskies received a halftime speech from an unlikely source.
Senior Dominic Dunlap, who left the game earlier in the first half after suffering a concussion, addressed the team in the locker room. Dunlap stood up and told his teammates "I don't remember a whole lot. I know I'm out, but I know we worked way too hard to go out like this."
A moment Giles says got the guys fired up, but because Dunlap was concussed at the time of his speech, Giles says "I don't think he remembers it."
Dunlap's teammates certainly remembered and the Huskies played a spirited second half leading to a 60-58 win and ending Mater Dei's consecutive sectional finals appearance streak at six.
Dunlap is doubtful for Saturday's final, but, may be available for a halftime speech.
The Huskies may need it. Corona Centennial, the 23rd ranked team in the nation, is trying to complete a rare task. Having knocked off Mater Dei, ranked 7th in the nation, it's the 5th ranked team in the nation, Long Beach Poly, which stands between the Huskies and their second CIF title.
