

Cydnee Bryant, Corona Centennial girls basketball team too much for Martin Luther King to handle in Big VIII League final
BasketballBlogFeaturesHigh School BasketballNewsNewsTickerSouthern SectionStaffPicks February 1, 2025 Erik Boal 0

EASTVALE – Corona Centennial knew Martin Luther King would try to summon any extra motivation it could in Friday night’s Big VIII League girls basketball championship game, especially with junior guard Martha Firmo unable to compete for the Wolves as a result of an ankle injury.
For the first 10 minutes, Martin Luther King relied on the perimeter shooting of Amya Moody and the rebounding and interior defense of Sydney Sloan, with the seniors serving as the catalysts in the Wolves building an 11-point, second-quarter lead.
But Corona Centennial scored the final 10 points of the first half and opened the fourth quarter with another 10-point run, and the imposing physical play of 6-foot-4 junior forward Cydnee Bryant eventually wore down the inspirational performance of the short-handed Martin Luther King lineup.
Bryant had 23 points and 20 rebounds, with Journey Wilson adding 10 points and fellow senior Ahjoy Turner contributing nine points, as the Huskies captured back-to-back league titles with a 56-35 victory at Roosevelt High.
Corona Centennial (15-9, 7-0) extended its league winning streak to 17 in a row and secured its fifth Big VIII championship in the past six seasons.
The Huskies won for the 10th straight meeting against Martin Luther King (23-6, 5-2), including a 63-53 victory Jan. 23, with Bryant producing 27 points and 21 rebounds in the first matchup.

Corona Centennial girls basketball team | Photo courtesy of Corona Centennial
Firmo had 24 points for the Wolves in the Jan. 23 showdown, but without her presence Friday, Moody had 13 of her 19 points in the first half – contributing to a 21-20 advantage for Martin Luther King at the break – and didn’t score in the fourth quarter.
Martin Luther King endured more than eight minutes in between free throws and had a drought of nine-plus minutes without a basket in the second and third quarters.
Jannah Soliva, a sophomore guard, gave the Wolves a 29-28 advantage on a layup with 2:30 left in the third, but Bryant and Turner both hit 3-pointers and Wilson added a free throw to close the quarter, giving Corona Centennial a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Calise Gibson, Bryant and Wilson continued the Huskies’ momentum with another 10 unanswered points to open the fourth, contributing to a 17-0 run during a five-minute stretch in the second half for Corona Centennial.
Soliva responded with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws for Martin Luther King to cut the deficit to 45-34 with 4:30 remaining, but Corona Centennial responded with another 11 consecutive points in three-plus minutes, before a late Wolves’ free throw by Gennesy Hardy accounted for the final margin.
Soliva had 11 points for Martin Luther King, which made only four field goals in the second half.
Tierra Taylor and Gibson both added six points apiece for Corona Centennial, which outscored the Wolves by a 46-13 margin during a 21-minute stretch following the second-quarter deficit.
The Huskies enter the postseason having won nine of their final 10 regular-season contests, the lone setback by a 61-53 margin Jan. 25 against Sage Hill (18-7) at the Public vs. Private Showcase event at Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga.
Martin Luther King won 13 of its last 15 games, with both losses coming against Corona Centennial.
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