The Centralia boys were in a district championship game two years ago, and head coach Brandon Crites took Hallsville to one last year.
They both lost to Mexico and were still searching for their …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous website, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
The Centralia boys were in a district championship game two years ago, and head coach Brandon Crites took Hallsville to one last year.
They both lost to Mexico and were still searching for their first district title until Saturday. The Panthers defeated North Callaway 59-43 in the Class 3 District 7 championship game at South Callaway in Mokane for the program’s first title since 2004 and the first one for Crites in his first year as the Centralia head coach.
“When I first heard it was the first time since 2004, I just couldn’t believe it because of the athletes we have here,” said senior Anthony Ford, who led Centralia (18-10) with 15 points and nine rebounds. “It is awesome. We came out with a chip on our shoulder tonight, and we got it done.”
Ford said he was a sophomore when the Panthers lost to Mexico in Centralia, and he and the others in that locker room were hungry for another opportunity. This included senior Luke Waltemate, who scored eight of Centralia’s 21 points off the bench.
“Just being on a team with these guys is a blessing,” Waltemate said. “We’ve had a great time, and I think we deserved to win this.”
Crites came close to a district championship last year in the aforementioned matchup between Hallsville and Mexico and also fell short in 2023 against Kirksville and in 2021 against Montgomery County. In his sixth year coaching, Crites said he has brought four teams to the district finals, but this was the first year his team had the No. 1 seed.
While he is personally happy to have that district championship, Crites said it is all because of the boys. He said he mainly wanted the Panthers to play well together when he took over the position, and they have done that.
“The things we always talk about is togetherness, toughness and integrity,” Crites said. “Of course we want to win games, but we want to do it the right way. The kids have done it the right way all year long. They don’t taunt their opponent, they play incredibly hard and they are tough kids that come from a tough town. No matter what, win or lose, we’re going to be together.”
It was a close and low-scoring game after one quarter, as Centralia led 8-5 after the first quarter, in the third meeting with North Callaway (18-11) this season. The Panthers widened the gap in the second quarter to maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Crites said North Callaway is “dangerous” with a lot of shooters and an effective big man inside. He said the boys knew from prior experience to the point that they were acting on instinct rather than thoughts.
“Things we didn’t even talk about before this game as being key — things they learned throughout the year — they did,” Crites said.
Ford said Centralia is different when it lost 66-62 at North Callaway three months ago. He said it goes beyond knowing the opponent better, but it also means the Panthers know each other better.
Crites would regularly emphasize togetherness in practice, according to Ford, when starters scrimmaged against the bench. He would then change the teams based on which players were best connected.
“It is just definitely staying connected,” Ford said. “When things don’t go your way, you’ve got to stay connected as a team. That was something we didn’t have before Coach. He came in and that’s something he really focused on was being connected as a team, having a togetherness and being a family.”
Waltemate, Ethan Ross and Anthony Young each finished with eight points, and Quin Eckler had seven points. To help Centralia take a 28-11 halftime lead, Waltemate knocked down two 3-pointers and scored off a steal.
Whenever Waltemate is called upon, he keeps his head in the game and is supportive when on the bench. He credits Crites for the team’s good culture.
“We stuck together a lot better this year because Coach Crites really brought us together,” Waltemate said. “Playing as a team — five as one — really brought us these wins.”
Centralia will be playing past districts like its state championship team did in 2004. Crites said there are several kids on the team that have big games, but they love being balanced like they were against North Callaway.
“This senior group are high-character kids who play for the name on the front of the jersey every night,” Crites said. “I’m just blessed to be the one that got to be with them here tonight.”
