The March 7 championship between the Centerville Bulldogs and 19-game winners Shenandoah was expected to be close. The Raiders were overwhelmed from the opening tip to the final buzzer, and Centerville trounced them 66-36.
The Bulldogs’ aggressive defensive pressure created offense, and they raced to a 10-2 lead less than four minutes into the game. Keith Plyley Jr. hit a jump shot with 44 seconds remaining in the first quarter to push the Bulldog lead 19-4. A buzzer-beating basket from Aiden Coffey cut the Raider deficit to 19-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was a carbon copy of the first. The Bulldogs dominated play on both ends of the floor. The Hollendonner brothers, Jace and Shea, both reached double figures by halftime to help lead the Bulldogs to a 38-13 halftime lead.
The teams played even in the third quarter before the Bulldogs extended their lead to 30 points in the fourth quarter. Eight Bulldogs scored in the rout, with four placing in double figures: Shea Hollendonner led with 20 points, Jace Hollendonner scored 15 points, Ethan Vecera scored 12 points and Bryson Brown scored 10 points. Coffey led the Raiders with 11 points.
Centerville head coach Brian Keiser said that his team is playing at a high level.
“Since we lost our game at Richmond we have played well,” Keiser said. ”We made some adjustments after that and we have played better in every game since. When we play with the intensity we played with tonight, we are hard to beat. We are looking forward to a rematch with Parke Heritage.”
Bulldog junior Bryson Brown, who scored in double figures in both sectional wins, said the team stepped up their intensity in the past month.
“We knew what we were capable of achieving this year and we are working as a team to be as good as we can be,” he said. “We will be ready next week.”
The win extended the Centerville school record for wins in a season to 24. The Bulldogs will play Parke Heritage (23-4) for the regional championship on Saturday, March 14, at Martinsville High School. Tip time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Centerville (24-2) 19 19 16 12 66
Shenandoah (19-6) 6 7 16 7 36
Centerville (66)
Plyley 2, Coltyn Keiser 3, Landyn Keiser 2, Vecera 12, Shea Hollendonner 20, Brown 10, Kaden McCord 2, Jace Hollendonner 15, Landen Schlotterbeck 0, Gabe Boyle 0, Jonathan Golden 0, Bentley Grubbs 0
Shenandoah (36)
Zane Mitchell 5, Garrett May 8, Karter Gray 0, Jarrett Helman 9, Kaden Gray 0, Jayden Campbell 3, Maddox Davis 0, Noah Cress 0, Ayden Musick 0, Andrew Curless 0, Nolan Rector 0, Aiden Coffey 11
A version of this article appeared in the March 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.