NTL BOYS BASKETBALL: NEB BOYS HAVE OUTSTANDING SEASON (March 21, 2026)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
NEB boys basketball had one of their best seasons in a generation this past winter, claiming not just a Small School title, but also a District IV title, their first since 1991.

“This season was tremendously successful for the NEB Panthers,” said coach Paul Burgert. “The boys came together as a team and did what needed to be done. We got great contributions from all of our guys in terms of offensive production, defensive production, and making winning plays. In terms of scoring, we had four players score over 200 points and two other players close. I can't believe there are many teams with that kind of spread. We had three players over 80 assists and our points per possession on the season was 1.04, which is outstanding. Defensively we had a scoring average of 40.5 which was very good. Our defensive rebounding percentage was 71.4% (our goal was 75%- which is a lofty goal) so we were pretty much where we wanted to be. The boys played hard, unselfish basketball and were a joy to watch this year.”

Those two titles weren’t the only high points for NEB this year.

“There were a lot of accomplishments for this team,” Burgert said. “We three-peated the Kyle Lynn Tip Off Tournament, were NTL champs- beating all the large school teams which I believe hasn't been done before, and won the district championship for the first time in 35 years. We finished with a 22-4 record and while I hate to point to shooting after losses, in those four losses we were 7 for 78 from three, and not much better from two. So with a few more shots dropping, we might have won a couple of those games, including our state playoff game vs Susquehanna. Overall, just an outstanding season and I couldn't be prouder of the guys. All of the success they had was due to the hard work they put in, all players, at practice every day.”

The Panthers won their first seven games, beating Blue Ridge (61-46), Meadowbrook (64-36), NPL (48-43), Wellsboro (58-50), Montrose (55-46), Wyalusing (69-19), and Troy (63-43).

Their only two regular season losses were to Elk Lake (57-42) and NPL (48-22).

NEB then went 12-0 the rest of the way as they swept Canton, Sayre, CV, and Williamson, while defeating Large School opponents NP-Mansfield (77-43), Athens (55-47), and Towanda (63-56) in an OT thriller.

They got revenge on NPL (48-46) to clinch the league title.

Athens would get the better of them in the NTL Showcase semifinal, but rebounded to beat Sayre (75-24) in the playoff opener.

They defeated East Juniata (74-56) in the semifinals, then held on to edge Muncy (34-33) in the finals. They ended the season with a home loss to Susquehanna.

Seniors Eli Stanton and Cooper Brown led the team. Stanton with his ball-handling, speed, defense, and competitive fire, while Brown was a 1,000 point scorer, and grabbed 500 rebounds in his career.

Third senior Dayton Russell provided size and energy off the bench.

“Unfortunately we have to say goodbye to three amazing seniors, Eli Stanton, Cooper Brown, Dayton Russell,” Burgert said. “Three awesome players and great young men. They will leave a big hole in our team that will be hard to fill. We wish them all the best, and I sincerely thank them for all they have done for NEB basketball.”

Big man Clay Wilks took another step this season with his paint scoring and rebounding, with Mac Burgert providing shooting, and Dan Barrett doing a little bit of everything.

Nate Gross also provided a spark off the bench.

“We do have a lot of young and hungry dudes coming back,” Burger said. “How hard they work will determine what they can accomplish next season.”

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