NTL BOYS BASKETBALL: WYALUSING SHOWS IMPROVEMENT IN 2025-2026 SEASON (March 2, 2026)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Wyalusing boys basketball didn’t quite reach the goals they set at the beginning of the year, but the 2025-2026 season showed marked improvement from the previous year, and should be a good jumping off point for next season on a team that only featured one senior.

“After having a few weeks to reflect, I am proud of the growth that we have made with this current group of kids over the past few years,” Wyalusing coach Brent Keyes said. “There is no question that all of the close losses were frustrating, but I do believe we took a necessary step forward this season. We played many of the better teams on our schedule tough, especially after the long time off from games over Winter Break.”

The Rams went 7-15 on the year, but the record doesn’t tell the whole story as they had seven losses by single digits.

They lost the first two games of the season, but rolled past Canton (71-17) and Benton (81-40) to even their record up at 2-2.

After a loss to district champs NEB they rolled past Sayre (89-23) to head into the holiday break.

In divisional play they came up just short against Wellsboro (53-51) and NP-Mansfield (52-48), both games they were leading late.

After a loss to Troy they had the highlight of their season when they drubbed Athens (58-32) at home.

Two more tough loses followed, including in overtime to district semifinalist East Juniata (53-52).

They won two of their next three, beating Williamson (59-32) and CV (55-38).

That was followed by six straight losses, though one of those was a nail-biter against another district champion in Sullivan County (51-46).

They ended the season on a high note with a win at CMVT (68-30).

Tyler Caplan (15.0 PPG) led the team in scoring as he had a nose for the rim, while also nabbing 2.4 SPG. He also led the team in rebounding at 6.9 PPG.

Myles Kershner was next on the team in scoring (9.5 PPG), while grabbing 6.0 RPG, and garnering 1.2 blocks per game.

Shay Gartland added 7.1 PPG, and 2.7 APG, with sharpshooter Noah Kilmer getting 5.7 PPG.

Parker Cunningham (5.8 PPG) also provided scoring, with Jared VanDeMark (5.2 PPG) provided some inside scoring.

Aiden Neiley gave them a little bit of everything, including a team leading 3.0 APG - plus 5.0 RPG, and 2.0 SPG.

“We will miss our one season, Mason Culver, who provided great leadership and togetherness in the locker room,” said Keyes. “If that can be replaced, with us returning every other player in our program, we hope to turn that into meaningful wins next season.”

They’re hoping to shore up some weaknesses that hurt them late in games as they work through the offseason to get that .500 record that’s been elusive the past few seasons.

“Ultimately, for this group to take the next step, we need to have a great offseason in the weight room, as late game rebounding and ball handling plagued us all season, and we will continue to play often together in the summer,” said Keyes. “I think I speak for everyone involved when I say that we are already looking forward to next season and we are motivated for more success.”

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