Centennial pulls way from North Cobb

Centennial coach Allen Whitehart warned against taking anyone lightly in the Class AAAAA playoffs, not even North Cobb, Saturday’s first-round opponent, a team that came in with a record barely over .500.

The Knights ran their own record to 25-4 with a 66-49 win that ended North’s season at 15-15, but not without needing a quarter and a half to gain momentum.

Once they did, the Knights — finalists in 2007 and a second-round team last year — rolled into Wednesday’s second round against South Gwinnett.

Whitehart, whose team has won 11 of its last 13 games, warned of the challenge posed by South’s athleticism, which helped it edge Mill Creek, 48-45.

“At this stage, you have to make modifications and adjustments every night,” he said.

The Knights got a game-high 19 points from both Lorenzo Brown and Adrian Rogers. Devonta White chipped in eight.

The Warriors got 13 points from Colin Slotter and 10 from John Smith.

The Knights trailed 19-15 after a quarter, but led 33-30 by halftime and never looked back.

North Cobb coach Terry Gorsuch said considerable focus was on Brown, but acknowledged the Knights’ all-around dominance.

“Brown hurt us [in 2007], so we knew about him, but you can’t forget about their other four guys,” Gorsuch said.