Boys basketball teams played in the Hagerstown 2A sectional March 4-8, 2025, with the Centerville Bulldogs winning their first sectional title since 2011. Below is combined coverage of games covered by WWN throughout.
Big 3rd quarter lifts Knights past the Tigers
In the first half of the opening-round game of the Hagerstown sectional played on Tuesday, March 4, between 2A fifth-ranked Northeastern and the hosting Tigers, there was little difference between the teams. In the regular-season meeting between the two Tri-Eastern Conference rivals, played in early February, the Knights won by a large margin. On Tuesday, the Tigers slowed the game’s pace and only trailed by the score of 22-21 at halftime.
During the critical third quarter, the Knights scored the first 15 points and held the Tigers to a single field goal, extending their lead to 37-23 entering the fourth quarter en route to a 50-31 win.
Tre Vanlandingham had the hot hand for the Knights, scoring a game high of 20 points. Noah Payne and Sam White each scored 9 points. Isaac Schmitz led the Tigers with 12 points and Jaykob Troutwine scored 8 points.
Northeastern head coach Brent Ross said he told his team that the game would come down to defense.
“I told my team before the game ever started that the game would be won on the defensive end of the floor,” Ross said. “Defense has always been our trademark. I felt like we left a lot of points on the table in the first half. I told them at halftime that if we could build a 6-8 point lead in the third quarter that Hagerstown would no longer be able to dictate the pace of the game. Their strategy was effective until we took the lead in the third quarter. They did a nice job.”
Hagerstown head coach Mark Doerstler said that his team fell short of their goal.
“We played well for three quarters in a four-quarter game,” Doerstler said. “Either you love or hate halftimes, and tonight we would have been better off to keep playing. We tried to tell them at halftime to just relax and keep following the game plan. Northeastern is a good team and they seek opportunities to expose the other team, and it got away from us in the third quarter.”
With the win, the Knights advanced to the first semifinal-round game played on Friday, March 7, against the Shenandoah Raiders.
It was the final game in a Hagerstown basketball uniform for seniors Griffin Doerstler, Anthony Kelley, Kaagen Kendall, Landon Lawson and Mason Rhoades.
Northeastern (23-1) 17 5 15 13 50
Payne 9, Kalen Moore 0, Matthew Truitt 0, Logan Seal 5, Cooper Cline 0, Nic Markward 0, Vanlandingham 20, Marshall Phillips 0, Landon Scarrette 7, Brody Ross 0, White 9 — Total 50
Hagerstown (9-13) 10 11 2 8 31
Troutwine 8, Schmitz 12, Kelley 6, Kendall 2, Lawson 3, Graham Vinson 0, Doerstler 0, Braydon Sanders 0, Kaden Hall 0, Ben Hokey 0, Rhoades — Total 31
Bulldogs eliminate Patriots with 30-point 4th quarter
The Centerville Bulldogs squared off against the Union County Patriots in opening-round action on Tuesday, March 4, for the right to advance to the semifinal round.
The favored Bulldogs, who defeated Union County 60-41 in their regular-season game in late January, had trouble pulling away from the determined Patriots.
The Patriots led 8-7 at the end of the first quarter, trailed 18-17 at halftime and were still hanging around at the end of the third quarter, trailing 32-29.
In the fourth quarter, Centerville raised their level of play, pouring in 30 points to pull away for a 62-48 win.
Both teams displayed balanced scoring. Ethan Vecera led the Bulldogs with a game high of 15 points, Shea Hollendonner scored 14 points and Landyn Keiser scored 10 points. Logan Boone and Nick Watterson each scored 13 points for the Patriots and Fenton Coyle scored 12 points.
Centerville head coach Brian Keiser said he was happy to see his team respond in the fourth quarter.
“We finally got things rolling toward the end,” Keiser said. “The kids were trying to feel each other out in the fourth quarter. The officials were calling the game real tight, and that changed the way the game was played. But we finally adapted and took control in the fourth quarter. Union County plays a really tough zone defense and you have to be able to hit shots against it. Once we started to attack by going inside and then outside, we played better. We will prepare for the next game. We are thankful to still be playing.”
The semifinal round will be played March 7 vs. Winchester.
Centerville (18-7) 7 11 14 30 62
Landyn Keiser 10, Coltyn Keiser 2, Vecera 15, Shea Hollendonner 14, Bryson Brown 6, Kaden McCord 4, Jace Hollendonner 7, Keith Plyley Jr. 4, Kyle Dickenson 0, Landen Schlotterbeck 0, Jonah Cornett 0 — Total 62
Union County (11-13) 8 9 12 19 48
Dom Smith 0, Grady Coyle 5, Boone 13, Keegan Latherly 0, Fento Coyle 12, Waterson 13, Andrew Houchell 2, Landon Strait 0, Isaiah Martinez 3 — Total 48
Knights hold off Raiders’ upset bid
When the defending champion Northeastern Knights squared off against Shenandoah in the first game of the semifinal round of the Hagerstown sectional on Friday, March 7, for the second consecutive tournament game, they faced a team who tried to slow the pace of the game.
The Raiders were deliberate with the ball and held a 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. Two minutes into the second quarter, the teams were tied at 11-11, and the Raiders later retook the lead at 14-13 on a made 3-pointer by Garrett May with 3:45 remaining in the first half.
The Knights finally pulled away by hitting back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers. The first two treys came from Marshall Phillips, and the third came from Noah Payne to propel the Knights to a 22-14 halftime lead. The scoring flurry changed the game’s flow, and the Raiders never cut their deficit to less than 5 points in the second half. The Knights pushed their lead to as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter before eventually winning by the final score of 48-38, moving to the championship game on Saturday, March 8.
Landon Scarrette led the Knights and all game scorers with 16 points, and Tre Vanlandingham scored 10 points. Aiden Coffey scored 14 points to lead the Raiders.
Northeastern head coach Brent Ross said defense was the difference in the game.
“I have been telling our kids that in sectional tournaments, defense is what wins games,” Ross said. “I feel like the kids did a good job of contesting shots on the perimeter. Marshall (Phillips) gave us a huge lift when he hit back-to-back threes in the second quarter. He and the others who came in off the bench did what they needed to do to help us win.”
Northeastern (24-1) 8 14 15 11 48
Noah Payne 5, Kaleb Moore 3, Logan Seal 0, Vanlandingham 10, Scarrette 16, Phillips 7, Matthew Truitt 0, Sam White 7, Cooper Cline 0 — Total 48
Shenandoah (14-10) 9 5 12 12 38
Zane Mitchell 8, Maddux Davis 2, Coffey 14, Hayden Hubbard 3, Canon Case 2, Karter Gray 0, Jarrett Helman 0, Garrett May 9, Jayden Cambell 0 — Total 38
‘Dawgs’ depth overpowers Falcons in semis
The second semifinal game at the Hagerstown sectional on Friday, March 7 between Centerville and Winchester was a rematch of a hard-fought game played between the two Tri-Eastern Conference rivals in early February, which the Bulldogs eventually won 53-48.
The Friday game bore little resemblance to the February meeting: the Bulldogs played stifling defense and were balanced and efficient offensively.
Centerville opened the game on a 9-0 run and led wire to wire in a 68-42 blowout win. Leading 25-14 at halftime, the Bulldogs scored the first two baskets of the second half, eventually building a 46-26 lead at the end of the quarter.
Ten different Bulldogs scored in an impressive display of depth. Shea Hollendonner led with 14 points, and Jace Hollendonner scored 12 points. Carter Campbell led the Falcons and all game scorers with 16 points.
Centerville head coach Brian Keiser said his team was focused especially on defense.
“We talk a lot about mental focus,” Kaiser said. “They put it together on both defense and offense tonight. I loved our energy. We were locked in on defense in this game. We will need that energy tomorrow night in the championship.”
Centerville (19-7) 14 11 21 22 68
Keith Plyley Jr. 6, Coltyn Keiser 4, Landyn Keiser 6, Ethan Vecera 6, Shea Hollendonner 14, Jace Hollendonner 12, Bryon Brown 9, Kaden McCord 6, Kyle Dickenson 2, Landen Schlotterbeck 0, Jonah Cornett 3 — Total 68
Winchester (11-13) 6 8 12 16 42
Campbell 16, Gabe Overton 5, Caleb Hummel 2, Carter Fraze 3, Austin Price 2, Lucas Tarter 5, Mason Moore 0, Cam Baldwin 9 — Total 42
Bulldogs win battle of heavyweights
Centerville Bulldogs claim 1st sectional since 2010-11
Two-time defending sectional champion Northeastern, a 24-game winner and ranked 5th in the 2A poll, fell to the Centerville Bulldogs in the title game of the Hagerstown sectional on Saturday, March 8, in a classic battle between two outstanding teams.
It was the third meeting between the teams this season. The Knights won the first two, but on Saturday, the Bulldogs won the coveted sectional championship by the final score of 61-57.
Both teams played their hearts out before a sold-out gymnasium.
The game saw eight lead changes and three ties. The Bulldogs led by 4 at the end of the first quarter; the Knights battled back to take a 4-point lead at halftime. The Bulldogs carried a slim 1-point advantage into the fourth period before the Knights tied the score at 41-41, then took their last lead at 44-41 on back-to-back 3-pointers from Kaleb Moore and Landon Scarrette.
The Bulldogs regained the lead for good on a rebound basket from Bryson Brown with 4 minutes and 43 seconds to play. The Bulldogs continued to be the aggressor, eventually pushing their lead to 54-47 with just under 2 minutes to play. It was the biggest lead of the game for either team.
Shea Hollendonner, who did not play in the first two Centerville/Northeastern games this season because of injury, led the Bulldogs and all game scorers with 18 points, Jace Hollendonner scored 16 points, and Ethan Vecera scored 10 points and collected seven rebounds.
Noah Payne led the Knights with 16 points, Tre Vanlandingham scored 14 points and Landon Scarrette scored 13 points. It was the last game in a Northeastern basketball uniform for seniors Dalton Justice, Payne, Scarrette, Matthew Truitt, Vanlandingham and Sam White.
Northeastern head coach Brent Ross gave Centerville kudos.
“It was a great game,” Ross said. “I felt like we gave up too many straight-line drives, and they finished around the basket, and we didn’t. It was so loud in the gym that it was hard to make adjustments from the bench. But you have to give credit to Centerville. They played well and they got the last punch in. They made the plays in the fourth quarter they needed to make to win. I am proud of what my team accomplished this year, and I told them that.”
Centerville head coach Brian Keiser said his team kept attacking after they got the lead.
“Sometimes teams try to hold the ball with a lead, but we continued to attack the basket and make good decisions down the stretch, and we were able to hold on to our lead,” Keiser said. “Several times during the game, different kids stepped up for us. Our ability to get the ball inside was the difference in this game.”
Bryson Brown, who scored the go-ahead basket for Centerville, said the Bulldogs were ready.
“We played with a lot of intensity tonight,” Brown said “We lost to them twice this year. We knew this game was win or go home. We played as a team, worked hard and came out with the win.”
The Bulldogs will face 2A fourth-ranked Parke Heritage on Saturday, March 15, at 4 p.m. in the Martinsville regional.
Centerville (20-7) 16 7 16 22 61
Keith Plyley Jr. 2, Coltyn Keiser 0, Landyn Keiser 7, Vecera 10, Shea Hollendonner 18, Brown 6, Kaden McCord 2, Jace Hollendonner 16, Kyle Dickenson 0, Landen Schlotterbeck 0, Jonah Cornett 0 — Total 61
Northeastern (24-2) 12 15 11 19 57
Payne 16, Moore 3, Logan Seal 1, Vanlandingham 14, Scarrette 13, Marshall Phillips 0, Matthew Truitt 3, Brody Ross 0, Dalton Justice 0, Sam White 7, Nic Markward 0, Cooper Cline 0 — Total 57
A version of this article appeared in the March 12 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.