ROCHESTER — Live by the three, die by the three.
Under head coach Jordan Thomas, the Centralia Tigers have often been a victim of that phrase more than a beneficiary. But on Friday night, the Tigers buried Rochester with a barrage of triples, sinking 11 from behind the arc in a 52-33 rout to snap an 18-game losing streak that dates back to last season.
Junior Johnny Ruiz drilled six treys en route to scoring a game-high 22 points. Centralia’s defense was also as stout as the program has seen in years, as the Tigers held an opponent to 33 points or fewer for the first time since Feb. 4, 2019 — also against Rochester.
“I think once we dug our feet into the ground and started playing physical, that was the team I recognized,” Thomas said. “This win was huge in terms of confidence and morale. We’re really just focused on competing every night, no matter who we’re playing.”
After Rochester tallied the first five points of the game, Ruiz caught fire from deep, hitting three trifectas and a layup and accounting for all 11 of Centralia’s first-quarter points. A 19-4 spree across a 10-minute stretch in the first half helped the Tigers take a double-digit advantage, and they led 26-15 at halftime.
Centralia poured it on into the third quarter, with Ruiz hitting another triple and then shocking the Rochester crowd with a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tribute as he sank a “skyhook” with his right hand over a defender. That trick shot propelled Centralia to a 20-point lead, and the Tigers kept their foot on the gas pedal in the fourth quarter to win by 19.
The victory marked the first for the Tigers (1-4) since Dec. 20, 2024, against Rochester, and the 19-point margin was the most in a win since Centralia beat Rochester by 31 on Dec. 13, 2023.
“Any given night, we can hit shots,” Thomas said. “You know the saying: live by the three, die by the three. But, at the same time, I don’t want to live too much by the three. If it’s open, it’s open. We’re trying to search for good shots.”
Aside from Ruiz’s big night, Trevor Griffis added 10 points, Braden Baine tallied six and blocked a handful of shots, and Kadin Yeung scored five points. Thomas’ favorite moment of the night came in the third quarter when senior Abraham Martinez drilled a triple for his first career varsity basket.
“Every single person contributed. Abraham scored his first three points. He’s a leader on the team, so seeing him score his first varsity points was really huge,” Thomas said.
Rochester (0-6) was led in scoring by freshmen Tyson Canales and Clayton Knutson, who scored nine points apiece. Devin Gravett scored five, and Le’Shawn Hines and Emmitt Mancuso each had four.
The young Warriors have found moments of potential in their six games this season, but they’re still looking to string together a full four quarters.
“Centralia played good defense. We settled for too many threes and had a hard time getting to the key,” Rochester assistant coach Kyle Ratkie said. “I think their pressure got to us. At spurts, we play really well, and then all of a sudden, a team hits like three threes and it’s hard for us to climb back from that.”
Rochester returns to the court Tuesday night against Shelton. Centralia will look to add another ‘W’ to its resume when it visits R.A. Long Monday night, with a rematch against the Warriors looming on Friday in the Hub City.
Thomas hopes that the trajectory of his second season as coach doesn’t repeat his first, when the Tigers started 0-4, won two straight games and then lost 13 in a row.
“We’ve put in a lot of work, but we want more,” he said.
