The Centerville Bulldogs boys basketball team faced Hagerstown in the championship game of the Wayne County tournament on Saturday, Jan. 10, at Robert E. Clark Gymnasium on the campus of Hagerstown High School. The game was played before a near-capacity crowd and with high intensity on the floor.
Centerville, ranked fifth in the latest 2A poll, came to make a statement. The Tigers were primed to pull the upset. The Bulldogs took the early lead. Hagerstown did not shoot well and fell behind 16-5 at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers battled back to cut their deficit to 30-23 at halftime.
The Tigers opened the third quarter with back-to-back three-point baskets from Graham Vinson to pull within a single point at 30-29, with 4:30 remaining in the period. Ethan Vecera and Jayke Troutwine traded baskets to maintain the one-point spread.
Jace Hollendonner gave the Bulldogs breathing room when he delivered a conventional three-point play with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter. Ten seconds later, Troutwine hit a long-range three-pointer to make the score 35-34.
The Tigers never had another chance to take the lead. Shea Hollendonner scored off a steal and then scored again as time expired to propel the Bulldogs to a 39-36 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
The Bulldogs slowed the pace of the game in the fourth quarter and quickly pushed their lead to 45-36 with six minutes to play, eventually pulling away to a 58-45 win.
Shea Hollendonner led Bulldogs and all game scorers with 24 points. Keith Plyley Jr. and Landyn Keiser each scored nine points. Troutwine and Vinson each scored 13 points for the Tigers, and Jonny Howard scored nine points.
Centerville head coach Brian Keiser said it was a great game between two well-prepared teams. “It was a stressful game,” Keiser said. “But with the game on the line, our kids made the plays they needed to make to win. Both teams played their hearts out. It was a great game for the fans. We maintained our composure and we were able to do just enough to pull it out.”
Hagerstown head coach Tyler Stotler said he thinks his players now better understand what it takes to get to the next level. “We got off to a slow start,” Stotler said. ”Our kids have never played in this kind of an environment and the game could have gotten away from them, but once they settled in they fought their hearts out. We cut the lead to three and to one multiple times. We could never take the lead, but I can’t fault our effort. Until you play in games like this you have no idea what it takes to win. Now, they get it.”
Centerville (11-1) 16 14 9 19 58
Hagerstown (5-4) 5 18 13 9 45
Centerville (58)
Plyley 9, Landyn Keiser 9, Coltyn Keiser 0, Vecera 6, Shea Hollendonner 24, Bryson Brown 3, Jace Hollendonner 7, Landen Schlotterbeck 0
Hagerstown (45)
Vinson 13, Troutwine 13, Isaac Schmitz 5, Lincoln Small 0, Kaden Hall 5, Ben Hokey 0, Howard 9
A version of this article will appear in the January 14 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.