Alex Henning wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. It’s not every day you get to face a nationally ranked team, let alone when it’s your rival.

“She asked for the ball so we ran a play to give it to her and she made the basket,” Centerville girls basketball coach Adam Priefer said. “That girl wanted the bucket. I think you saw how happy she was at the end of the game.”

Centerville celebrated with her.

Before a Trent Arena crowd of 2,500-plus that included UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma, Centerville stopped Fairmont’s 37-game Greater Western Ohio Conference Central Division win streak with a 54-48 victory. It’s the Firebirds first divisional loss since a 35-32 defeat at Beavercreek on Feb. 4, 2009.

Centerville, which snapped an 11-game losing streak to Fairmont and won for the first time ever at Trent, improves to 17-1 and 5-1 in the GWOC Central. The Elks entered ranked No. 17 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 4 and No. 6, respectively, in the National Guard JJHuddle Division I Power Poll and AP State Poll.

Fairmont, ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps and 1 and 2, respectively, by the state polls, slips to 14-1, 4-1.

“They’ve run rampant over us for a while,” Priefer said. “There have been some good games, but they’ve dominated us to be honest.”

Henning owned the final 70 seconds.

Still nursing an elbow injury suffered two weeks ago, wearing a brace and about “80 percent,” Henning was held scoreless in the second half until making a lay-up and ensuing free throw on a designed play with 1:10 to go to give Centerville the lead for good 49-48. She hit four additional free throws in the final 35 seconds and ended with 16 points. Bethany Krause led Centerville with 20 points.

“I wanted the ball because I knew I could hit the free throws,” said Henning, a Bucknell recruit. “I wanted to make the shot for us.”

Junior Kathryn Westbeld led Fairmont with 24 points. The Firebirds wrapped a tenuous stretch of three games in five days after participating in the Classic in the Country where they beat nationally ranked Regis Jesuit (Colo.) and Wadsworth.

“Our journey is definitely set up for us to face some big challenges like we did this weekend and again tonight,” Fairmont head coach Tim Cogan said. “In the end the goal is to get as far as we can in the tournament.”

Expect Round III in March.