When longtime rivals Centerville and Northeastern arrived at Robert E. Clark Gymnasium in Hagerstown for the Wayne County championship game on Saturday, Jan. 11, the atmosphere was electric. Both teams had strong vocal support from the large crowd. The defending champion Bulldogs set the tempo and pace of the game and had 2A 11th-ranked Northeastern on the ropes for the first three quarters.
The talented young Bulldogs, with a roster composed of all underclassmen, took a 7-5 lead less than three minutes into the first quarter on a 3-pointer from Ethan Vecera and maintained their lead through three quarters. A 3-pointer from Landen Schlotterbeck near the end of the first quarter gave the Dawgs a 16-10 lead at the first-quarter break. A 3-pointer from Landyn Keiser gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the game at 21-10.
At halftime, Centerville still held a 24-17 lead. Bryson Brown scored three minutes into the third quarter to extend the Bulldog lead to 30-21 before the Knights fought back to trim their deficit to 30-27 entering the final period.
Sam White scored on a rebound basket 50 seconds into the fourth quarter to make the score 30-29, and Noah Payne pulled up for a 3-pointer with 6:45 remaining in the game to give the Knights their first lead since early in the first quarter. The Knights sped up the pace of the game and opened the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run to build a lead that eventually swelled to 47-35 with 36 seconds remaining.
Centerville got scoring from nine different players, led by Brown, who scored 8 points. Landon Scarrette led the Knights with a game high of 18 points. White recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Payne scored 10 points.
Northeastern head coach Brent Ross had praise for Centerville.
“They made us play their game for three quarters by pulling it out and slowing us down,” he said. “We played from behind and we are not used to that. I challenged our seniors between the third and fourth quarter, and they responded. It is unfortunate that the weather caused the game to be changed and rescheduled, but that is beyond our control. We are in a difficult sectional, and we may see Centerville again.”
“We offer no excuses,” Centerville head coach Brian Keiser said of the loss. “All the credit goes to Northeastern. The intensity level in the game was off the charts, and they stepped up when they had to. They got the job done and we didn’t. Hopefully, we will get rested and healthy, and if we see them again in the sectional, it should be a heck of a game.”
Northeastern senior Landon Scarrette spoke for his team after the game. “I feel like our energy and intensity picked up in the fourth quarter,” Scarrette said. “Coach Ross challenged us, and we were able to pressure the ball and get a few turnovers and the momentum shifted to us, and once we took the lead, we were able to build on it. We were also able to utilize the skill and size of Sam White. He is our glue guy and he delivered.”
Northeastern (13-0) 10 7 10 22 49
Payne 10, Logan Seal 2, Kaleb Moore 3, Tre Vandingham 2, Scarrette 18, White 12, Marshall Phillips 0, Matthew Truitt 0, Cooper Cline 2, Trent Delaney 0, Brody Ross 0, Nic Markward 0 — Total 49
Centerville (7-6) 16 8 6 11 41
Keith Plyley Jr. 5, Landyn Keiser 5, Vecera 7, Brown 8, Jace Hollendonner 5, Schlotterbeck 4, Kyle Dickenson 2, Coltyn Keiser 3, Jonah Cornett 2 — Total 41
A version of this article appeared in the January 15 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.