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Collin Jones wins co-MVP, five total Wildcats receive PHAC honors

Central Mountain’s Collin Jones dribbles the ball in a game against Hollidaysburg. Jones was named co-MVP of the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference (PHAC).

By SHAREIK FLOWERS

sflowers@lockhaven.com

MILL HALL — Five members of the Central Mountain High School basketball program were elected to the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference (PHAC) All-Star team.

Representing the boys team were Collin Jones, Matt Storeman, Trevor Hanna and Issiah McCann. Taylor Fletcher was the girls’ lone recipient.

Collin Jones was named first team co-MVP, alongside Jersey Shore’s Junior Armstrong, following a breakout season. Jones led CM with a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds per game. He also led the team in steals as he was CM’s most active player on the court.

“Collin’s personality shows in his game,” Central Mountain boys coach Tyler Bardo said of Jones. “He’s the only guy I know that can feel the beat on a quiet bus. He’s got energy and the ball finds that. He took a lot of tough love and built on it.”

Senior guard Matt Storeman also received first team honors. He led the Wildcats with four assists a game, and was second after Jones averaging 12 points a game. He saved his best performance of the season for the district championship, where he recorded 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds against the Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers.

“Matt is the ultimate competitor,” Bardo said of Storeman. “There’s never a drill where he’s not competing. He has a high basketball IQ and he puts guys in position to score.”

Trevor Hanna received second team honors. He was second on the team with 24-three point conversions, and on defense drew a team-high 13 charges. Despite the impressive stat line, his biggest contribution was the mentor role he grew into.

“Trevor is one of the greatest leaders I’ve coached in ten years,” Bardo said of Hanna. “His character shows in his play.”

“[And those] 13 charges? Those are character plays,” Bardo added about Hanna.

Senior forward Issiah McCann was named the PHAC’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“Issiah has come so far,” Bardo said of McCann. “He’s another phenomenal leader and [volunteered to guard] the better players. He deserves this honor.”

With four PHAC all-star selections, and another appearance in the district championship, the Wildcats are beginning to shift into one of the stronger teams in the area.

“To have four guys sets a standard,” Bardo explained. “We have no team captains. We put no guy on a podium. They work for one another.”

Central Mountain entered the season losing four of five starters from a season ago, but never missed a beat. With a new head coach in Tyler Bardo, CM finished with a 12-11 record and another appearance in the district championship. For his squad’s success, Bardo was named PHAC coach of the year, but detailed how the entire coach staff was pivotal in this season’s accomplishments.

“Coach of the year is a great honor, but you have to also honor [assistant coaches] Billy Hook, Eli Hanna, Luke Welshans, Kellen Moss and all of our support systems at home,” Bardo said. “They put in so much time for this program.”

On the girls side, senior Taylor Fletcher received third team honors. Fletcher led the Wildcats in scoring, and was a bright spot in a rough season.

“Besides her scoring, her hustle on the court and dedication to her teammates and program this season were outstanding,” CM girls basketball coach Terrance Green said of Fletcher. “Taylor has come a long way since the beginning of her basketball career, and all her hard work over the years paid off in the end. As one of our three seniors this season, she will surely be missed.”

And Marissa Moyer was recognized as an honorable mention after finishing second on the team in scoring.

“I was very pleased with Marissa this season because she took on the role of starting point guard with no hesitation,” Green said of Moyer. “She understood the pressures that came with the position and never throughout the season gave up on her ability to play the position. Marissa is a natural scorer, but sacrificed that for the betterment of the team. She is well deserving to receive honorable mention by the other coaches within our division.”

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