The ego check came in March.

The gut check came Wednesday.

In between, Centennial grew into a championship candidate.

The Coyotes were a game away from elimination. But after upsetting Canyon del Oro 1-0 at Hohokam Stadium, Centennial is now a win away from its first state title appearance.

The Coyotes used JT Price’s masterful complete game shutout and a couple of defensive gems to help avenge an earlier tournament loss to No. 2 seed CDO. The loss snapped CDO’s 12-game win streak.

No. 3 Centennial had a 12-game win streak of its own after the turning point in its season. The team’s March Boras Classic trip was the wake-up call.

“We had some personality issues as we were going into Boras Classic and were a bit overconfident,” Centennial coach Jon Williams said. “We couldn’t remember who we were, causing a lot of setbacks and infighting within our group. But we were able to reel it in after the Boras Classic, went on a 12-game winning streak and here we are.”

Possessing leaders with a lot of moxie helps.

Price was right for most of the game with his pitch location. The senior right hander struck out the final batter in four of the final five innings with runners on each time.

Price (10-1) struck out seven, allowed six singles and walked two in his first complete game of the year.

“I was comfortable the whole time,” said Price, who suffered his only loss, 6-4 to CDO, in the tourney. “My catcher David Daniels was great behind the plate. Being able to be confident to throw into the dirt, or throw one up, and have the confidence that he’ll get it and keep it in front, that’s crucial, especially on the last strike out with the curveball down.”

CDO, which stranded eight runners, including four in scoring position, had a final opportunity to tie when No. 9 hitter Maximus Hendrix led off with a single.

But Centennial then executed a 5-4-3 double play with third baseman Brady Mitchell playing in before Price’s final K. Centennial’s outfield also delivered.

Right fielder William Strand, with a runner on first, fell but still made an incredible catch after chasing down a long fly ball off Gatlin Geile’s bat to end the sixth inning.

“I definitely didn’t think I was going to get there right away,” Strand said. “Then I started closing in right away and managed to fall right in my glove, and it was an amazing feeling.”

Strand also scored the game’s lone run after reaching base with a stand up double to start the second inning.

Cohen Baack (3-for-3) had the game-winning hit with an RBI single with two outs. Strand and Baack swung successfully on CDO’s ace Regen Mazura’s first offering to get on base.

The lefty Mazura (9-3) pitched well enough to win.

CDO (26-6) and Centennial (23-9) will play Thursday at 6 p.m. at Hohokam again to determine which semifinalist will advance to Tuesday’s 5A final at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The winner will play Canyon View, which defeated Cienega 8-0 Wednesday night at Hohokam.