The Centerville Lady Bulldogs punched their ticket to the championship game in the opening round game of the Wayne County tournament, played on Thursday, Jan. 9, with a 39-19 win over Hagerstown.
Centerville senior Taelynn Swartz scored the first 7 points of the game and Kendall Nelson scored off a steal. Olivia Hunter scored on a rebound basket with 1:09 remaining in the first quarter to propel the Lady Bulldogs to an 11-0 lead.
The Lady Tigers, who had good shots that did not fall, finally scored on a short jump shot from Bella Thalls to break the ice. Avery Blunk hit two free throws and Alexis McGinty hit a free throw in the final seconds to give the Lady Bulldogs a 12-4 lead at the end of the first period.
The Lady Bulldogs added to their lead in the second quarter and took a 23-7 lead to the locker room at halftime, highlighted by a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Hunter as time expired. A Havanna Harris 3-pointer was the only Hagerstown score in the period.
The Lady Bulldogs extended their lead in both the third and fourth quarters while holding the Lady Tigers to only 12 second-half points, taking a 39-19 win and advancing to the championship game for only the second time in the last decade.
Swartz led Centerville and all game scorers with 16 points, and Hunter added 10 points. Harris was the leading scorer for Hagerstown with 5 points, and Skylar Brown and Lilly Catey each scored 4 points.
Centerville (6-9) 12 11 9 7 39
Bowi Frame 0, Maddie Beach 0, Madison Rowe 0, Swartz 16, Hannah Beaman 0, Ruby Snyder 3, Lindy Skinner 0, Addie Talbot 0, Nelson 5, Aubrey Seifer 0, Hunter 10, Lorna McKinney 4, McGinty 1 — Total 39
Hagerstown (1-15) 4 3 6 6 19
MacKenzee Johnson 0, Thalls 2, Harris 5, Katee Cowan 0, Catey 4, Brown 4, Rylan Hughes 2, Avery Blunk 2, Layla Cool 0, Mia Hilbert 0 — Total 19
A version of this article appeared in the January 15 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.