The Lions clinched at the very least a berth in the 5A conference play-in tournament, which gets under way Feb. 9 at the site of the higher seed. The state tournament’s first round opens Feb. 13, with a 16-team bracket that will feature the top eight clubs in the final AIA rankings plus the eight play-in winners.

The Coyotes are still likely to get a top 16 seed and host a play-in game Friday. It was Centennial looking like the dominating team early on in the regular season finale.

The Coyotes, winners of four of five entering the matchup, opened up with a perfect early run to the tune of 4-of-4 from the floor, including two 3-pointers, and two free throws to claim a 12-7 lead midway through the first quarter. They would never trail in the period in front of a loud home crowd.

Centennial senior wing Koby Jones lifted the crowd with a huge dunk to snap an early tie and give the Coyotes a 33-31 lead in the last two minutes of the first half. A put-back at the buzzer by senior forward Trent Washington boosted Centennial to a slight 37-35 lead by halftime.

It was all Liberty after that.

The Lions charged out to a 19-6 run in the third quarter. Momentum had clearly shifted by the time Liberty senior guard Kade Heddings drained a 3-pointer that forced Centennial to burn a timeout with Heddings encouraging his teammates back to the bench with an emphatic "We got ’em! We got ’em!"

"All I said is ‘stay the course.’ Second half we just wanted to stay the course," Liberty head coach Mark Wood said of his halftime adjustments. "We have faith in our guys."

Centennial's Koby Jones (#10) attempts a dunk against Liberty on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018 at Centennial High School in Peoria. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]

In the fourth, Centennial stayed within reach when junior guard Luke Shough hit a 3-pointer, but it was promptly answered at the other end with a Guliford trey from deep in the left corner, to stake the Lions to a 68-59 advantage with 3:26 left in regulation.

Guliford got loose again later, this time for a left-handed jumper followed by a booming running slam dunk to give the Lions their biggest lead of the night, 75-63, with 1:55 left to play.

After trailing the entire first quarter and enjoying only two brief leads in the second, Liberty led for the final 18:04 of regulation.

In the end, it was the Northwest Region champion Lions talking state.

"We didn’t have a destination point," coach Wood said of his team’s season goals, one year after a surprising 5A Final Four berth. "Our focus was to get tougher every day."

Josh Ursery scored 16 points for Liberty in the winning effort. Jacob Edahl added 11.

Centennial got 21 points from Washington, and 15 from senior guard Payton Nelson, who was saddled with a fifth personal foul by the end of the third period.

The Coyotes, meanwhile, are all but guaranteed a berth in the 5A conference play-in tournament, which brackets the teams in the AIA’s final rankings from 9 through 24. Those eight winners advance to the state playoffs.

On Senior Night, the Coyotes honored Kyle Shough, Jones, Nelson, Jaylen Currie, Washington, Nefi Martinez and Caden Cox.

Steve Stockmar can be reached at 623-876-2567 or sstockmar@newszap.com. Continue the discussion at yourvalley.net. Liberty head coach Mark Wood reacts after Liberty gains the lead against Centennial on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018 at Centennial High School in Peoria. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]