However, one three seemed to be the difference.

Once Fatoll found the bottom of the net, her shot continued landing. Her teammates followed suit and fed off her energy, and the result was a bloodbath through the final three quarters.

Fatoll finished with 21 points, falling six short of securing the program record for career points but doing more than enough to have a lasting impact on the game. And after scoring three field goals in the first quarter, Central Mountain mustered up just three more through the remaining three, getting outscored 41-12 within that span to fall, 55-22.

While the loss stung, it wasn’t one that carried too much angst or surprise given the team’s current situation. Already lacking experience entering the season, Central Mountain (2-9) was without leading scorer and rebounder Reagan Weaver, with head coach Scott Baker acknowledging the challenge the team faced heading into Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Camdyn Weaver (20) looks for a shot over the head of Shikellamy's Lily Fatool (3) during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

“We’ve got our leading rebounder and scorer out, an entire bench of freshmen and freshmen starting, so it’s going to be tough until some of our young ones grow up and experience this,” said Baker. “That’s basically what it is. They’re better than we are.”

Throughout the first quarter, the Wildcats were very much in the game. They drew first blood on a layup from Morgan Davis, and five lead changes and three ties followed through the next five minutes of play.

Freshman Payton Williams hit a mid-range jumper and contributed two assists within the frame, the latter coming on a drained three from Alaina Carnahan. That trey gave the Wildcats an 8-5 lead, and though the Braves would respond with back-to-back baskets, Central Mountain stood a fair shot of coming out of the quarter with a lead.

But out of a timeout, Shikellamy drew up a play that Fatool the look she wanted, as she drilled a deep three before following it up with a fast-break layup soon after. From there, it was a completely different ball game.

Fatoll would open the second with back-to-back threes to quickly propel the Brave lead to 20-10, and a Shikellamy defense that gave up ground in the first was everywhere in the second, building off the momentum its leader created.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Payton Williams (23) tries to get past Shikellamy's defense during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

It was a battle just to get the ball past halfcourt, and every Central Mountain pass felt like a turnover waiting to happen. Following Carnahan’s first-quarter trey, the Wildcats went over 17 minutes without a field goal while the Shikellamy offense continued to pick up steam, finishing the first half on a 21-3 run.

“Tip the cap to them; they have an outstanding player,” said Baker on Fatoll. “When you have a player that can not just score like that but control the game, it just makes everybody around them so much better as well. So, everybody else can play with so much more freedom.”

“One of the reasons why that happens is we go our own way and don’t do what we need to do when the going gets tough. The other is it’s hard to take anybody off the floor, and they’re tired because the bench hasn’t shown me yet that they can step up in those moments,” he added on the team’s second-quarter struggles.

Things didn’t get much better in the third, as Shikellamy’s 21-3 run grew to 39-5 before Central Mountain started finding the bottom of the net again deep in the third. By then, the running clock was on and all hope extinguished, but the Wildcats continued fighting until the final buzzer.

Junior point guard Camdyn Weaver finished with 12 points to lead the Wildcats, hitting a late three, going 7-for-12 from the free-throw line and adding three rebounds. Williams contributed three assists, and Alaina Carnahan posted three rebounds and two steals alongside her first-quarter three.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Alaina Carnahan (5) looks to pass around Shikellamy's defense during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

After parting ways with a stout senior class last season, it was always anticipated that the current one would be a process for the Central Mountain girls. It’s easy to get bogged down amidst an array of losses either way, but Baker believes his squad is trusting the process and hopes to see it continue to grow.

“After Selinsgrove, we had to do a little reset and just make sure we’re focusing on getting a little bit better each day. “Of course you want to win, but let’s stop worrying about the scoreboard and make sure we’re getting better every possession,” said Baker, referencing an early conversation with the team.

“Hopefully those infants become toddlers by the end of the year. Then, you can have a good offseason with them, and they’re ready to go next year. It just takes time.”

In pursuit of said improvement, the Wildcats’ next action comes at home against Danville next Wednesday. That game is set for 7:15 p.m.

Shikellamy 55, Central Mountain 22

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Camdyn Weaver (20) tries to bring the ball past a Shikellamy defender during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

SHIKELLAMY (55)

Lily Fatool 8 0-0 21; Kelsey Dietrich 5 1-3 11; Carli Berry 2 0-0 5; Reagan Good 1 0-0 2; Ruby Kohl 2 0-0 4; Jane Berger 6 0-0 12. Totals 24 1-3 55.

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN (22)

Morgan Davis 1 0-0 2; Elise McKean 0 1-4 1; Alaina Carnahan 2 0-0 5; Camdyn Weaver 2 7-12 12; Payton Williams 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 8-16 22.

Shikellamy 14 16 17 8 – 55

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Lucy Walker (12) tries to move past Shikellamy's Kelsey Detrich (5) during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

C. Mountain 10 2 5 5 – 22

Three-pointers: Shikellamy 6 (Patool 5, Berry 1); Central Mountain 2 (Carnahan 1, Weaver 1).

Records: Shikellamy 9-4; Central Mountain 2-9.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Mya Krout (42) and Shikellamy's Kelsey Deitrich (5) reach for a loose ball during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Camdyn Weaver (20) tries to bring the ball past a Shikellamy defender during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Payton Williams (23) tries to get past Shikellamy's defense during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Camdyn Weaver (20) reaches for a loose ball around a Shikellamy defender during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Elise McKean (3) looks to shoot around Shikellamy's Jane Berger (34) during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Camdyn Weaver (20) tries to bring the ball past a Shikellamy defender during a high school girls basketball game at Central Mountain on Friday.