BLACKSVILLE – Not many teams in many sports find it simple to elevate their success after losing some of the most impactful players the program has seen.
After losing their top two scorers in program history, the last two years to graduation in Pretston Luzader (2025) and Colby Barr (2024), the Cee-Bees and head coach Josh Kisner haven’t missed a beat this season and are one of the top teams in Class A midway through the campaign.
Clay-Battelle is 9-2 so far in 2025-2026 and is currently ranked 4th in the latest boys’ basketball coaches’ poll with wins over East Hardy, Midland Trail (AA), and Notre Dame.
Kisner says a main factor for the success, and also one of the best parts about coaching his team, is the depth the team has shown and what that has added.
“This team is one of the deepest we’ve had here in years,” Kisner said. “Being able to have highly competitive practices and game-like energy during practices is exciting for the whole team, players, and coaches. They also continue to instill the concept of being a team, and it shows.”
The Cee-Bees have multiple players averaging double figures and are dishing nearly 20 assists per contest as a team.
Senior Trey Huggins leads the team with 18 points per game, shooting just under 50% from the field (47% from 3-point range). Fellow seniors Colt Sandy (11.8) and Cooper Payton (12.3) join Huggins in double figures. Sandy is averaging a near double-double with almost 10 rebounds as well.
Senior point guard Braden Ponceroff fills the stat sheet with 6.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.8 steals a night.
“This season has obviously been different without a 6-foot-6 post player to help dominate the inside, but to that point we do have players who do well in the paint,” Kisner said. “Colt has been huge for us, as well as Cooper Payton, Jaxon Huggins, and Kooper Statler. Then we have some great shooters on the outside and Braden Ponceroff to run the show. Anything can happen with our lineup.”
It’s that exact mix of depth and experience that could lead to something special for the Cee-Bees, who last reached the Class A semifinals in 2023.
“Having eight seniors on the team who all have the same goals is very important,” Kisner said. “Then, having a full bench of athletes that can be rotated throughout a game is very beneficial at the Class A level. Down the stretch, we just need to stay focused on one game at a time and continue to do what we know. If these guys stay together and work as a team every single game, I believe we can reach our biggest goals that we have.”
The Cee-Bees will look for their 10th win of the season Friday night on the road at Madonna, before a home game on February 3 against Trinity Christian. They’ll also play Cameron twice and East Hardy again before the end of the regular season.
