by Jamie Harris
The Berkeley Springs Indians wrapped up their 2025–2026 regular season with a demanding three-game stretch that ended in a 1–2 finish, bringing their five-game winning streak to a halt.
The week opened on Tuesday, February 24, when Berkeley Springs hosted the Keyser Golden Tornado. Keyser came out firing, jumping ahead 14–7 after the first quarter and keeping control throughout the night to hand the Indians a 50–44 loss.
Sammy Stotler led Berkeley Springs with 22 points, followed by Brennan Hoover with 12, Kyle Moore with 6, Jake Aulabaugh with 3 and Landon Stotler with 1.
The JV squad delivered a thriller of their own, edging Keyser 40–38 behind strong performances from Levi McFarland (13), Jalen Miller (11), Nick Quarantillo (8), Conner Maconaughey (5) and Ethan Rawlings (3).
Two nights later came the highly anticipated Morgan County showdown, as the Indians traveled over Cacapon Mountain into a packed Paw Paw gym buzzing with rivalry energy.
From the opening tip, the atmosphere was electric—every possession felt like a momentum swing as the first quarter ended deadlocked at 16–16.
In the second quarter, Berkeley Springs began to find rhythm, using an 18–13 run to take a 34–29 lead into halftime. The third quarter proved decisive: the Indians’ depth, tempo and defensive pressure broke the game open with a 22–14 surge that pushed the lead to 56–43.
Paw Paw battled behind the red-hot scoring of Taylor Carder, who poured in 30 points, but Berkeley Springs closed the door with a dominant 25–14 fourth quarter to claim a 71–57 rivalry victory.
The night showcased a scoring duel between two of Morgan County’s elite players, Sammy Stotler erupted for 29 points for the Tribe, while Carder carried the Pirates with 30.
The Indians’ balanced attack continued with contributions from Jake Aulabaugh (14), Brennan Hoover (13), LT Tausen (8) and Kyle Moore (7).
Paw Paw also saw scoring from Braylen Paul (15), Tomy Santos (5), RJ Ryan (4) and Nathan Dick (3).
It was the kind of game that felt bigger than a regular-season matchup, high energy, high stakes, and the kind of county pride that makes local basketball special.
Berkeley Springs returned home on Friday, February 27, for Senior Night against a surging Petersburg squad.
The Vikings came in hot and maintained control throughout the evening, defeating the Indians 64–40.
Hoover led Berkeley Springs with 14 points, followed by Stotler with 13, Moore with 9 and Aulabaugh with 4.
In JV action, Petersburg topped the Indians 51–40 despite solid scoring from Conner Maconaughey (11), Ethan Rawlings (8), Jalen Miller (7), Levi McFarland (5), Nick Quarantillo (4), Saul Williams (3) and Liam Coffman (2).
With the regular season complete, the Indians (13–8) now shift their focus to the Class AA Region II Championships. As the #7 seed, Berkeley Springs will travel to Ridgeley to take on #2 Frankfort on Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m. Frankfort swept the regular-season series 49–48 and 72–38, setting the stage for a challenging but high-upside rematch. If the Indians pull off the upset, they will advance to face the winner of #3 Lincoln vs. #6 Moorefield on Tuesday, March 12.