Upon hitting his second three of the night against Saint Joseph’s Catholic on Monday, the bottom of the net appeared wider to Shade, who caught fire on his way to a career-high, 28-point scoring outing. He hit seven threes, four coming within a crucial 24-4 run spanning the second and third quarters that gave the team the cushion it needed.

“I just thought to myself, keep shooting, shooting, and I kept making it,” said Shade. “I went into this just like a regular game. Just like every game, just play as a team and keep winning.”

Noah Wells made it two Wildcats to surpass 20, notching 22, as the pair combined for 50 points of the team’s 60 points. And Blake Walker fore-fronted a defensive effort that saw the Wildcats secure 15 steals, all factors in a 60-54 win that got Central Mountain back to .500.

It wasn’t pretty at times, as fouls and turnovers threatened to derail its chances early and whittled down its 14-point cushion late. But behind strong close efforts from Shade and Wells on the offensive end and heightened energy on defense, the Wildcats finished the job relatively seamlessly.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Noah Wells (5) takes a wide-open layup during a boys basketball game against Saint Joseph's Catholic on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 60-54.

“The issue in the very first game was just a lack of energy in the way we started. The last three games, we’ve been able to come out with really good energy,” said Central Mountain head coach Tyler Bardo when discussing the win.

“Now, we have to find a balance between having that really good energy and playing smarter basketball. We’re playing a little bit emotional right now, which is a good thing; it’s possible energy. It’s just leading to poor decision making in the height of everything.”

After taking its second lead at the end of the first, those issues took centerstage, albeit briefly. Turnovers and fouls allowed the Wolfpack to pick up a multi-score lead with three minutes to go in the half, and the Wildcats spent much of that span with just one made field goal on the quarter.

However, their defense kept them one surge away, as they forced nine turnovers through the quarter to combat their own. And eventually, those steals would translate into points.

A pair of Shade free throws and Walker layup knotted it up at 24-24, and though two SJC free throws briefly gave the Wolfpack back the lead, it would be their last of the game. Shade hit a corner three off a Central Mountain steal soon after, and Wells would follow him up with a fast-break layup off his own steal, giving the Wildcats a 29-26 halftime lead.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Blake Walker takes an attempted layup during a boys basketball game against Saint Joseph's Catholic on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 60-54.

That energy, from Shade and Wells to the Wildcats’ defensive pressure, would carry forward through much of the second half.

In the first five-and-a-half minutes of the third, they’d give up just two points while their own offense surged forward. They’d open the quarter on an 11-2 run, extending their run from the three-minute mark of the second to 24-4 by the same mark of the third. That run was capped off by back-to-back threes from Shade that had Central Mountain’s bench, student section and home crowd roaring.

Even as Saint Joseph’s Catholic put together a 10-0 run of its own to cut the gap to four, Shade’s trigger remained steadfast. With the third quarter wrapping up, he’d square up a few feet behind the three-point line and drill a trey at the buzzer that ultimately helped steady the ship.

“It meant a lot because we weren’t really high at that moment,” said Shade on what that buzzer beater meant for momentum. “When I hit that three, we were really high. We had momentum in the fourth, and that’s where we needed it.”

From there, Central Mountain cut the mistakes down and kept scoring when necessary. The Wolfpack remained within striking distance, cutting their deficit down to two possessions on three possessions, but the Wildcats responded each time.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Darius Shade takes a three during a boys basketball game against Saint Joseph's Catholic on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 60-54.

Wells hit numerous key layups despite a congested paint, scoring eight of his 21 points through the fourth. Shade extended the team’s late lead to nine twice, once with a layup of his own and the next on his seventh three of the night. And Walker’s diving steal in the game’s final minute effectively sealed the deal.

On the night, six Wildcats scored, seven impacted the boards and eight logged at least one steal. Calen Hunter was a force under the rim, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds, and Isah Dorman grabbed two crucial ones in the fourth quarter that also played a role in their closing surge.

Central Mountain (2-2) returns to action with another challenge against Loyalsock (3-1) on Wednesday, where it’ll look to put together its first win streak of the season. Alongside the continued development of its leaders, another trend worth keeping an eye on will be how it cuts down the turnovers, which it had 19 of on Monday.

“We’ve got a tough one against Loyalsock, who’s under direction for the first time in four decades,” said Bardo on the matchup. “We’ve got to watch some film, prep for them tomorrow and come in and give a good, concerted effort.”

That game is set for 7:30 p.m. at Central Mountain.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Noah Wells (5) takes the ball downcourt during a boys basketball game against Saint Joseph's Catholic on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 60-54.

Central Mountain 60, Saint Joseph’s Catholic 54

SAINT JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC (54)

Ethan Bowmen 5 5-6 18; Isaiah Crispin 9 0-0 23; Chase Luckovich 4 0-0 8; Zach Cadman 1 2-2 5. Totals 19 7-8 54.

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN (60)

Blake Walker 2 0-0 4; Isah Dorman 1 0-0 2; Darius Shade 9 3-4 28; Dane Hanna 0 0-2 0; Carson Corturiaux 1 0-0 2; Noah Wells 8 6-7 22; Calen Hunter 1 0-1 2. Totals 22 9-12 60.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Dane Hanna (3) takes a contested layup during a boys basketball game against Saint Joseph's Catholic on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 60-54.

Saint Joseph’s 13 13 12 16 – 54

Cent. Mountain 15 14 16 15 – 60

Three-pointers: Saint Joseph’s 9 (Crispin 5, Bowmen 3, Cadman 1); Central Mountain 7 (Darius Shade 7).

Records: Saint Joseph’s 2-4; Central Mountain 2-2.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Calen Hunter (11) passes it out during a boys basketball game against Saint Joseph's Catholic on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 60-54.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Collin Confer (23) goes up for a contest layup during a boys basketball game against Saint Joseph's Catholic on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 60-54.