The Centreville Wildcats Boys Varsity Basketball team had their fifth away game of the season this past Friday, January 17th. Facing the Hayfield Hawks, the two teams were coming into this matchup from very different perspectives. The Wildcats looked to build on their 4-game win streak, while Hayfield needed some form of compensation for a gloomy 5-10 season.

In the first quarter of this back-and-forth battle, Centreville got off to a start that made it seem as if the game would be all but that, with their 7-1 lead. The Wildcats were determined to serve Hayfield with yet another pummeling loss. Getting buckets in transition, down low, and from beyond the arc, Centreville put on a showcase of how to dismantle the Hawks piece by piece. That was until, the second quarter rolled around. Hayfield blindsided the Wildcats with a dominant 12-0 run, led by Sophomore, Braylon Wheeler. Centreville’s lack of energy showed, as they were getting out hustled on nearly every possession. The run gave Hayfield a 31-27 lead at halftime.

Coming out of the half, Centreville looked re-energized and rejuvenated. Unfortunately, Hayfield was right there with them. Going tit-for-tat on every Wildcats bucket. By the end of the quarter, the lead was trimmed to two, setting up an epic fourth–and epic it was! Centreville quickly shut the game down, with a 10-0 start. Despite a bit of struggle from Hayfield in the closing minutes, Centreville walked away with the win.

This impressive, tough as nails, non-conference away win brings Centreville to a hopeful 10-3 record. Hayfield, meanwhile, drops to 5-11. The Wildcats will face yet another difficult away game this Friday versus Oakton.