MILL HALL – Defense led the way Friday night as the Central Mountain girls basketball team debuted its new 2025 edition of the Lady Wildcats. The Wildcats hosted the Mike Flanagan Memorial Tournament where it faced off against a spunky opportunistic team in Central Martinsburg.

For three quarters, the game was neck-and neck with Central Mountain leading in all three periods. And in the end, the home team would outscore the Dragons 12-4 through the first en route to a 45-36 victory to kick off the season.

With the win, Central Mountain will battle Brookville in the title tilt on Saturday. The Lady Raiders defeated Athens 48-34 in the tournament opener earlier in the evening.

Leading the offensive push for Central Mountain was the inside presence of freshman Reagan Weaver, who posted a game-high 25 points in her debut.

She finished with a double-double as she also pulled down 13 rebounds to go along with the 25 points. And fellow Central Mountain freshmain Payton Williams battled throughout as well on her way to netting 15 points and six boards.

The Dragons got a double-digit effort by Addison Long who posted 12 in a losing effort.

“Give them (Central) credit. They really came after us. I wasn’t pleased that we turned the ball over so much. We got a lot of young girls on the team. We have to learn to handle the ball better in key situations when we are getting pressured,” said Central Mountain Coach Scott Baker. “Despite that, whenever we needed to make a play, we made a play and came out on top. So that’s the most important thing. We’ll take the win and improve from there.”

In the first, Central Mountain got off to a hot start, quickly going up 8-2. In the early run, Reagan Weaver muscled her way in the lane and through traffic, posting six of the team’s first eight points while Williams added a long two, putting the Wildcats on the board with the starting bucket, their first of the season.

The Lady Dragons came firing back on two consecutive long triples by Alexis Rhykerd, tying the game at eight. However, on the following Wildcats’ possession, the ball went right back to Reagan Weaver and she did not disappoint, replenishing Central Mountain’s lead with a two-point shot.

Central took the lead for the first time as they got baskets from Addison Imes and Addison Long, making it an 11-10 Dragons lead.

But as quick as the Wildcats started the contest, they would end the quarter fast as well. A triple from Williams and two free throws by Shailynn Fullerton gave the Wildcats a 15-11 lead at the end of the first.

Things remained tight in the second quarter as both teams were able to post 12 points each. Going into the intermission, the Wildcats still held a 27-23 advantage. Reagan Weaver finished the period with 11 points.

Coming out of the intermission, both teams tightened up their defenses even more as Central Mountain was able to outscore Central Martinsburg 9-7 and take a 34-32 into the fourth.

In the final stanza, the Dragon defense continued to focus on on shutting down Weaver’s strong inside game, so it was up to the rest of the players to make strong plays. And step up they did, from breaking traps, to running backdoor lay-ups, to having two others step up and make clutch baskets.

Defensively, the Wildcats were able to clamp down, allowing the Dragons to score just four points through the fourth, as they were able to extend their lead and eventually, put the victory in the their win column.

Saturday’s final is set for 7:30 p.m. at Central Mountain.

Central Mountain 45, Central Martinsburg 36

CENTRAL (36)

Alexis Rhykerd 2 0-0 6, Camryn Parrilla 1 0-0 2, Marah Diehl 3 1-2 7, Addison Imes 2 5-8 9, Addison Long 5 0-0 12. Totals 13 6-9 36.

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN (45)

Shailynn Fullerton 0 3-4 3, Camdyn Weaver 1 0-0 2, Reagan Weaver 11 4-7 25, Payton Williams 6 0-0 15. Totals 18 7-11 45.

Central 11 12 9 4 – 36

C. Mountain 15 12 7 11 – 45

Record: Central Mountain 1-0.