When the Centerville Bulldogs took the floor at the Martinsville regional on Saturday, March 15, to face 2A fourth-ranked Parke Heritage for the right to advance to the semi-state, they were a near mirror image of each other. The Wolves are deep with outstanding perimeter shooters and play hardcore defense. The same description applied to Centerville. The Wolves only had one senior who saw significant playing time; the Bulldogs do not have a senior on their roster.
The defense overpowered the offense both ways for most of the game. The Bulldogs fell behind 5-0 to start the game before coming back to take a 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. There were five lead changes and four ties in the low-scoring first half. Centerville held for what they thought would be the last shot. Jace Hollendonner drove the lane in the final seconds and put up a shot that rolled off. The Wolves grabbed the rebound and tossed an outlet pass to BT Luce, who threw up a desperation shot from 10 feet behind the half-court line that was nothing but net. The improbable shot gave Parke Heritage a 21-18 halftime lead and changed the momentum of the game.
Luce opened the second half with a 3-pointer that extended the Wolves’ lead to 24-18. The Bulldogs twice cut their deficit to 3 points in the third quarter, the last time on a 3-pointer from Jace Hollendonner in the closing seconds that made the score 32-29 entering the fourth quarter.
The intensity level both teams brought in the final period was that of warriors who did not want to see their season end. With 1:39 remaining, Landyn Keiser drained a 3-pointer that brought the Bulldogs to within two points at 39-37. After a Wolf free throw, Keiser drove to the basket for a shot with 59 seconds to pull the Bulldogs to within a single point at 40-39. On the ensuing out-of-bounds play, Treigh Schelsky dribbled into a Centerville trap and appeared to commit a double dribble, but it was not called and Centerville was forced to foul to try to get the ball back and the Wolves closed out the game with a 47-41 win.
Schelsky led the Wolves with a game high of 19 points and Luce scored 10 points. Landyn Keiser led Centerville with 16 points, and Shea Hollendonner scored 12 points.
“We had opportunities to win this game,” Centerville head coach Brian Keiser said, “but we just couldn’t get the play we needed to take the lead in the second half. The half-court 3-pointer they hit at the end of the first half was a back breaker when you think about the fact that we were within 3 points on multiple possessions in the fourth quarter. We had chances, but the ball just did not go down for us, and they did a good job of holding the ball late and getting to the line. We hope that knowing that we could have won this game will be a motivator for our kids to work to get back here next year.”
The Wolves advanced to the Washington semi-state to be played on Saturday, March 22, to face Forest Park.
Parke Heritage (24-4) 8 13 11 15 47
Brendon Goins 6, Leyton McMullen 2, Renn Harper 0, Schelsky 19, Luce 10, Isaac Pickle 2, Carter Crum 8 — Total 47
Centerville (20-8) 9 9 11 12 41
Keith Plyley Jr. 0, Coltyn Keiser 0, Landyn Keiser 16, Ethan Vecera 4, Shea Hollendonner 12, Bryson Brown 2, Kaden McCord 3, Kyle Dickenson 0, Jace Hollendonner 4, Landen Schlotterbeck 0, Jonah Cornett 0 — Total 41
A version of this article appeared in the March 19 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.