Saturday's Class 4 District 8 championship game appeared to be anybody's to win after one half. No. 3 seed Centralia led top seed and eighth-ranked Mexico 30-29 at halftime before the Bulldogs touched a double-digit lead in the third quarter prior to running away with a 20-6 fourth quarter and their third district title in four years, winning 66-46. Mexico defeated Centralia on the Panthers' floor for the second time season after a 56-41 victory in January.
Head coach Darren Pappas has led each Mexico district championship team and said his players led the halftime discussion in the locker room. After that, the defense kept getting better and better, especially after a quick five points scored by the Bulldogs for a 44-36 lead with just under three minutes left in the third quarter. Mexico is now 26-2 and has won 15 straight games going into Tuesday's home playoff game against second-ranked St. Francis Borgia (25-3), who won 51-44 on Saturday night against Orchard Farm (21-7).
"We had defensive stops late in that third quarter, feeding into that fourth quarter," Pappas said. "We were able to get out in transition. We got more aggressive, put more pressure on them, and their legs started to go and started missing a few shots and then we were able to control the boards."
Pappas said the smaller lineup he used in the fourth quarter, with DJ Long, PJ Perkins, Jaydon Eldridge, Kaden Benne and Charlie Fisher gave the Bulldogs some more quickness and ball handling in the fourth quarter. The senior Long also turned it up late offensively, scoring 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to go with 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Long had a dunk and then, during that five-point run, a layup on a behind-the-back pass from Perkins and then a 3-pointer that forced a Centralia timeout.
"I was feeling excited because we got the crowd going and got the momentum on our side," Long said. "I'm glad I made the shot."
Jaydon Eldridge had 17 points and eight rebounds, Kaden Benne had eight points and two 3-pointers, and Perkins finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Long and Perkins said the team feels confidence enough where they can beat any team, and Perkins felt at ease when making that slick pass.
"It's pretty easy to make those passes, especially if I've got good chemistry with my guys," Perkins said.
In his final game as a Panther, Noah Kropf killed Mexico from midrange to lead Centralia with 20 points. Anthony Ford almost had yet another double-double of nine points and seven rebounds following two district double-doubles, senior Cullen Bennett finished with six points and six rebounds, and Logan Rosenfelder added six points.
It was also the final stand for Centralia head coach and athletic director Scott Humphrey as he said he will be the Troy Buchanan activities director starting next school year. Humphrey said he appreciates all the support from the community during his eight years in Centralia and believes his players left a good final impression on this season.
"We always talk about meeting in the middle of the cage, and we were right there and swung for the fences early," Humphrey said. "The most proud I was in the third quarter, where it looked like they were going to run away from us and then we fought back.
The Panthers finish this season 17-12 with their first district title game appearance since 2019.
"We were playing our best basketball in the last part of the season, which is what you want to do," Humphrey said. "Nobody probably picked us to be in the district championship, and we found our way in it and gave Mexico everything they wanted for three and half quarters. I've got nothing to complain about."
Look for the full Mexico and Centralia stories in the Wednesday, March 6, 2024, edition of the Mexico Ledger. The Mexico one will be posted Tuesday morning for the leadup to its next round game that day.
