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The objective was simple heading into the season.
“My goal is to improve every day as much as we possibly can,” said Centralia High School boys basketball coach Lee Bennett prior to the start of the 2010-2011 season. “That’s all I’m concerned with.
“I think maybe because of what has happened here the last couple of years, people just assume it’s a given, but it is not a given and I think that can put some unfair pressure on the kids.”
Whatever the expectations were, it’s safe to say the Orphans met all and exceeded most with a second-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament following a two-overtime loss to Rock Island in the title game. That capped a memorable 30-5 campaign for the club, which now enters the Centralia Sports Hall of Fame in the Teams category.
There was some anticipation as the opening tipoff drew near. The Orphans were coming off two consecutive 25-win seasons under Bennett who was 68-21 in three years at CHS and returned a number of players with varsity experience including 6-foot-2 senior guard R.J. Kwiatkowski who was entering his fourth season as a starter.
Beginning the year at the Jacksonville Bowl in the Crimson’s Thanksgiving Tournament, Centralia went 5-0 and opened its South 7 Conference sequence with a 49-34 win over Belleville Althoff.
A 43-34 defeat to O’Fallon, which was ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, was followed by four straight wins and a 10-1 mark heading into the Holiday Tournament.
After rolling past Burbank St. Laurence in the opener, the Orphans fell 41-38 to Chicago Bogan in the quarterfinals, sending them to the fifth-place bracket. Needing two wins to get a trophy, Centralia did so with decisions over Belleville West and Alton to head into the New Year with a 13-2 record.
The two wins to close out the CHT were the beginning of a nine-game win streak that included the championship of the Salem Invitational Tournament although it took a little doing. The Orphans needed a 3-pointer from Kwiatkowski with 0:01.7 left to get past Charleston 59-58 in the semifinals before bashing Edwardsville 57-39 in the title game.
The SIT title win was part of a nine-game win streak for the club that ended with a 50-48 loss at home to Mount Vernon. Centralia righted the ship by edging Cahokia but the following night in a highly anticipated battle between two Top 10 ranked teams, the Orphans fell 51-36 at Mater Dei.
But the Orphans, now 21-4, bounced back to drub Madison and won at Marion with the latter earning them at least a share of the South 7 Conference, an honor they claimed outright by beating Carbondale 64-36 in the regular season finale in Trout Arena.
Those same Terriers came back to Centralia four days later and nearly pulled off a stunner with a basket from Tyler Obermeier with five seconds left allowing the Orphans to escape with a 48-46 victory.
The Orphans passed another test with a 61-56 win over a 25-4 Mater Dei team in the regional final before a packed house as Kwiatkowski dropped in 25 points.
From there, the Orphans pushed their way past Highland 57-50 in a semifinal of the Jerseyville Sectional and rode a 20-point night from Daniel Westbrook in a 57-48 decision over Cahokia to advance to the super-sectional in Springfield.
Once there, Centralia received a go-ahead basket from Bryan Betts and a steal and two free throws from Desi Rush in the final minute for a 48-44 victory over Morton.
That sent the Orphans to the Final Four and once again it was a full team effort as Jake Wood and Marcus Hughes hit 3-pointers in a 12-1 scoring run early in the fourth quarter against North Chicago. That allowed Centralia to open a 10-point lead and withstand a final charge by the Warhawks in a 59-55 victory.
It was then on to the title game and it was a classic between the Orphans and Rock Island Rocks, who prevailed 50-40 in double overtime. Centralia had the final possession and shot in both the end of regulation and the first extra session but couldn’t connect.
Returning home the following day, the team was welcomed home by fans lining Poplar Street and then feted at the school in a reception in Trout Arena as Orphan Nation expressed their appreciation to a team that was not always the biggest in size but always the largest in heart.
The full rosters included players Matt Baumgartner, Bryan Betts, Alex Fritch, Bredesen Hartmann, Marcus Hughes, R.J. Kwiatkowski, Ivan McConnaughay, Mark McConnaughay, Tyler Obermeier, Andrea Pinceti, Desmond Rush, Shaquille Rush, Daniel Westbrook, DeVantre Whitelow, and Jake Wood, Coaches were Lee Bennett, Brad Goewey, Doug Jack, Jory Dial and Dave Bennett. Video/Statisicians were Bobby Reider and Jordan Williams, and scorekeeper was Dan Cole.
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