Not much had to be said in the Mexico boys’ locker room at halftime on Saturday afternoon.

Mexico vs Centralia District Title Photo Gallery

That was true when it came to the coaching staff as the players came together after falling behind Centralia 30-29 at halftime in the Class 4 District 8 championship game in Centralia to win Mexico’s third district title in four years. The Bulldogs outscored the Panthers 20-6 in the fourth quarter to win 66-46 — beating the Panthers in Centralia for the second time this season — and earn a home playoff game at 6 p.m. tonight against second-ranked St. Francis Borgia (25-3).

“They’re such a loose group,” said head coach Darren Pappas, who has led all three Bulldog district championship squads. “I don’t think they get too uptight in moments. They have a lot of heart in that they care for the team, they care for the program and they really work for each other to win. They want to win as much as possible at all costs.”

Pappas said because of all his team’s aforementioned qualities, not much needs to be said by him nor his staff to motivate them. At halftime, he said the players stepped up by speaking up when they urged for change in the second half.

That discussion seemed to work as Mexico (26-2) saw an immediate difference with some turnovers turned into points. The Bulldogs then springboarded off a 46-40 lead after the third quarter to eventually run away with the game in the final three minutes.

“Our guys were challenging each other at halftime,” Pappas said. “It was a player-led conversation in the locker room. We need those guys to step up big time and take that leadership. Anytime you can get a player-led conversation like that, it’s good.”

The senior point guard Long had a big second half after finishing the first half with four points and going a full second half in the semifinals. He poured in 19 of his game-high 23 points in the latter two quarters to go along with 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals. 

Long threw down a dunk off a steal early in the third quarter prior to finishing a fastbreak off a PJ Perkins behind-the-back pass and hitting a 3-pointer from the top of the key later in the quarter, taking a 44-36 lead with less than three minutes left. 

"It's pretty easy to make those passes, especially if I've got good chemistry with my guys," Perkins said.

"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."

Long said the halftime discussion could be basically summed up as the Bulldogs needing to come together, which they did with three scoring in double figures, including Jaydon Eldridge with 17 points and eight rebounds and Perkins with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Kaden Benne added eight points, including a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

“We were talking and saying, ‘We can’t get it done ourselves,’” Long said. “If we’re going to go on big runs, we just have to maintain our composure and keep fighting. My coaches and teammates said to not get down, just keep attacking and your shots are going to come in the second half.”

Like Long, Perkins has been part of two Mexico district championship teams and believed that a united approach could cut through a loud atmosphere in Centralia’s gym. If the Bulldogs do that, Perkins believes Mexico can keep its run going.

“In the locker room, we had a talk about coming together,” Perkins said. “Once we come together, we can beat any team in the nation.”

Pappas said Mexico was able to keep rolling after several “momentum plays” like Long’s aforementioned third-quarter plays and a corner 3-pointer hit by Benne in the fourth quarter. Other than those plays on offense, Pappas said the Bulldogs collectively helped the momentum swing to their side with their defense.

To inject more quickness, athleticism and ball handling into the game, Pappas said he went to his smaller lineup consisting of Long, Perkins, Eldridge, Benne and Charlie Fisher. Centralia wasn’t able to keep up with Mexico for all of the second half.

"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."

Noah Kropf proved to be dangerous from midrange, rarely missing a shot from that distance for Centralia (17-12). Kropf finished with 20 points, including 12 points in the first half, in the senior’s final game. Anthony Ford followed with nine points and seven rebounds, adding to Pappas’ reasoning for the smaller lineup.

“The Kropf kid and the Ford kid did a really good down low,” Pappas said. “At times, they were a tough matchup for us.”

Pappas said despite Mexico’s recent program success, it’s never easy to win a district championship. Much of the credit goes to the work put in by his players and is grateful for all of the support from the Mexico community. 

Mexico extended its winning streak to 15 games and is confident going up against whoever in the next round.

“I’ll go to battle with them any night,” Pappas said. “Those are the types of players you need to make runs like we have this season.”

“Every game, we feel confident,” Long said. “We feel like we can beat any team in the state.”