RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain's Darius Shade (2) is fouled by Jersey Shore's Khani McCray (2) on his way to the basket during a high school boys basketball game at Jersey Shore earlier this season.

Not every season is meant to end in accolades or a playoff appearance. Whether it’s key departures, injuries, a grueling schedule or all the above, sometimes the cards are just stacked against you, and the best you can do is try to make the most of it.

Such was the case for both Central Mountain basketball programs through their now completed 2025-26 seasons. Of those aforementioned factors, each took on its fair share, and neither schedule showed mercy as they finished without a playoff berth and with their lowest win totals in recent memory.

However, when it was all said and done, there were positives to take away. The boys played their best basketball down the stretch, providing late hope for a playoff push, and the youthful girls squad showed signs of a bright future, working hard to set themselves up for success and develop one step at a time.

It obviously isn’t the way its coaches or players wanted the season to end. But come February of 2025, both head coaches could agree that their players bought in and did what they could to succeed.

A TALE OF THREE THIRDS

Oftentimes, games or seasons can be described as being split down the middle, representing a shift where a team either kicked it into high gear to bounce back or collapsed down the stretch to ruin a strong season. However, for the Central Mountain boys, the themes were split into three: initial hope, a stretch of hardship and a rise from the ashes.

After starting 2-2, it seemed like the team would do just fine despite the departure of a stout 2025 class headlined by 1,000-point scorer Hunter Hoy and strength of its upcoming schedule.

The basketball it was playing wasn’t perfect – there were bound to be identity issues. But a stellar first few starts from Darius Shade, continued success of returning starters Noah Wells and Blake Walker and occasional dominant quarter seemed like signs they could steady the ship.

However, the losses would pour in soon after. Though they could consistently put together strong starts and first halves, the Wildcats couldn’t quite put it together for all four quarters, and it showed in the win-loss column.

They’d drop their next five to fall to 2-7. And when a win over eventual two-win Midd-West briefly stifled the streak, they couldn’t carry it forward, repeating the previous losing streak to drop ten of 11. The losses weren’t completely miserable, as just four came by 20 or more points, but they still put their playoff chances in jeopardy early.

“It’s one of those things where we just didn’t have an opportunity throughout the summer where we had everybody on our roster together. There’s a lot that we’re trying to work through,” said Central Mountain head coach Tyler Bardo following a 66-60 loss to Shamokin within that stretch.

“I think we’re doing a good job working through that, but it’s going to take time to put it together, and our schedule doesn’t allow for improvements to necessarily show up in the results unless we’re playing some really good basketball.”

But the signs of the ‘rise from the ashes’ showed late in that stretch. Another tight loss to the Indians – the eventual District 4 Class 4A No. 2 seed – once again showed it could match up against a strong foe. And in this case, Central Mountain would carry if forward.

It avenged its prior loss to rival Jersey Shore – a Class 4A playoff team – to close its second losing streak and kick off a stretch where it won three of four, adding wins against Class 5A playoff team Shikellamy (11-11) and D4 AA No. 4 seed Neumann (11-11).

Ultimately, the Wildcats won four of their last seven, with their final losses to Selinsgrove and Williamsport featuring clear signs of improvement. Two more wins would’ve guaranteed Central Mountain a playoff bid and given the coaching staff the confidence to accept it, but they were still proud of that closest stretch despite falling short.

“Our last eight games were strong efforts,” said Bardo when it was all said and done. “Did what every team aims to do, which is play their best basketball at the end of the season. It just wasn’t quite enough.”

Like last season, the Wildcats head into the next with a sense of mystery surrounding them, with its top eight scorers from the season – most notably Shade, Wells and Walker – all set to graduate. It’ll be a tough adjustment, but an interesting one to keep an eye on, as they look to return to the playoffs after their first miss since 2020.

LOOKING AHEAD

While the Central Mountain girls basketball team endured its second worst season of the Scott Baker era, finishing 4-17 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2023, Baker kept things in perspective as the season wrapped up. Each program dealt with its fair share of obstacles, but the girls did so to the nth degree, enduring the ‘all of the above’ category.

There were times throughout the season where Baker would be reminded of the absurdity of the Wildcats’ situation, seeing three freshmen take the court in the game’s most crucial moments. Of its 2025 starting lineup, four graduated, leaving lone returning starter Camdyn Weaver to guide a ship brimming with inexperience.

Though Central Mountain opened strong with a win over Central, six straight losses followed, surprising few but still being difficult to experience firsthand. And just when it seemed to be figuring things out, starting the New Year strong and closing its losing streak, promising freshman Reagan Weaver went down with a season-ending knee injury.

Through the first nine games, Weaver led the Wildcats in points (14.3) and rebounds (8.7) per game, and her positive attributes weren’t all documented on the scoreboard either. Baker described the freshman as one of the fiercest competitors he’d seen, an aspect that certainly could’ve impacted Central Mountain’s late season stretch.

“The competitive fire that she brings is what you can’t replace,” said Baker when discussing Weaver’s impact.

“Not only do you lose the points and rebounding, but you also lose that killer instinct. The moment she hits that first three, she’s firing the team up and that snowballs, and we just don’t have that now.”

It’s rarely worth arguing hypotheticals in sports; you’re dealt the cards you’re dealt. But it’s realistic to assume the Wildcats had the potential to scrape into the playoffs with Weaver on the court, considering their close losses to Mansfield (45-35), Jersey Shore (54-46), Selinsgrove (41-35) and Milton (50-36) down the stretch.

You always want to win at the end of the day, but that injury shifted the team’s focus more towards development for the future – more than it already was.

“Of course, you want to win. That’s why they turn the scoreboard on and play. But let’s stop worrying about the scoreboard,” said Baker regarding discussions he had with the team deep into the season.

“Let’s make sure we’re getting better every possession, day after day. Hopefully those infants become toddlers here by the end of the year. You have a good offseason with them, and then, they’re ready to go for next year. It just takes time.”

The team still loses seniors heading into next season, with Elise McKean in particular coming into her own down the stretch. But alongside both Weaver sisters, freshman Payton Williams – who finished her debut campaign averaging ten points, four rebounds and three assists per game, the Walker sisters – Lane and Lucy and junior Alaina Carnahan fill out a foundation that’s worth getting excited about moving into the future.

“That’s all encouraging,” said Baker when discussing the team’s future foundation. “Aside from Payton, Lane Walker, she’s not scoring a ton but she’s showing that she’s becoming more and more comfortable on the floor.”