Mountain Ridge boys basketball is on a six-game winning streak that may carry them to a surprise berth in the Division I Section III tournament next week.

How? By not talking about winning streaks or postseason scenarios and concentrating on basketball fundamentals.

That steady approach was evident in Thursday's 68-52 victory over Centennial (9-13). The Mountain Lions only led by one at halftime, but pulled away in the third quarter by sharing the ball and playing sound team defense.

"We try to be a real disciplined team and I think that pays off at the end of games when players are tired," Mountain Ridge coach Eli Lopez said. "We haven't talked about (the postseason) with the players. We're just focusing on each game."

Lopez is the third coach at Mountain Ridge (12-11) in as many years. And while it took a while to absorb another new system, the Mountain Lions are humming along at 7-1 since Jan. 13.

Senior forward Jacob Taylor is the team's versatile centerpiece, and led the way against Centennial with 18 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

He scored twice to give the home team a 36-30 cushion in the third quarter. Then a pair of three-point shots broke the game open.

Senior guard Richard Yarbough's trey won't be shown on instructional videos. It bounced high off the rim and rested atop the backboard for a split second before falling through the net. Junior guard Tanner Waldrip's more conventional triple the next time downcourt pushed the lead to 12.

"The seniors have led. They picked up things really quick," Lopez said. "They're the catalyst for our team. Jacob's been awesome and Richard's been awesome."

Once the starting backcourt began hitting to supplement Taylor, the Mountain Lions were in the clear. Waldrip scored all 15 of his points in the second half and Yarbough added seven of his 10 points.

"We go through those stretches where we struggle offensively and we saw that tonight," Centennial coach Michael Gahan said. "That ended up being the difference in the game. They're a good, solid team and I'd like to see them go far."

Most of the Coyotes high points came in the first half. They included the board work of seniors Richard Palmer (10 rebounds) and Ricky Winne (seven rebounds).

Sophomore guard Xavier Villanueva hit four treys for his team high 14 points, while junior forward Jake Mason added 11.

After posting an 8-64 record the previous three seasons, the Coyotes are making progress in Gahan's second year. He said the team plays with more confidence than in the past.

The next step is playing consistently sound basketball, a la Mountain Ridge.

"We got out of the gates really quickly this year, which got the kids a lot of confidence," Gahan said. "The close wins early in the season and the faith the kids showed in each other in those games was the highlight for us. We've struggled recently, but the kids haven't quit, they've continued to improve. Next year, we want to compete for that playoff spot."

Friday, the Mountain Lions finish the regular season with a home game against a one-win Phoenix North Canyon team.

If Mountain Ridge wins the finale, it has a good chance to extend its season. The Mountain Lions entered Thursday night as the No. 9 team in the Section III power rankings.

While only the top eight teams make the tournament, Mountain Ridge does not have to move up. Phoenix Westwind Prep — at No. 7 in the section — will not participate in the postseason because it discovered a player was ineligible.

"We're coming on real strong at the end. We're not sure if it's going to be enough," Lopez said. "It's confusing and it's going to take a while for the dust to settle."