Special season: Mainland's boys basketball team falls to Forest in regional quarterfinal

Mainland head coach Joe Giddens said a 22-4 season was an unexpected success.

  • By Michele Meyers
  • | 10:00 a.m. February 17, 2026
  • Ormond Beach Observer
  • Sports
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Frenzied fouls resulting in a plethora of free throws and a Hail Mary pass picked off in the final seconds solidified Ocala Forest's 57-55 upset of Mainland in the Region 1-6A boys basketball quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Vince Carter Athletic Center.

The game went down to the wire. The Buccaneers missed a free throw with 4.4 seconds left that would have tied the score at 56-56. After fouling Forest, the Bucs’ length-of-the-court pass with 1.6 seconds left was intercepted by the Wildcats. 

The loss was a disappointing end to the season for the Bucs (22-4), who entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the region and the second-ranked team in Class 6A. Forest, seeded eighth, improved to 18-8 and will face Gainesville Buchholz on Feb. 21 in the regional semifinals.

Forest came out strong against the Bucs’ aggressive defense, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter. Trey Chisolm led the Wildcats with 17 points and was instrumental in sealing the win after making three free throws in the final seconds. Treyton Cave and Chandler Davison each finished with four 3-pointers for the Wildcats.

 

They were able to come together and do something special. They were able to put egos aside. I hope they understand that they developed and became good young men, not just basketball players, that they’re going to be good fathers and good leaders in our community.
— JOE GIDDENS, Mainland head basketball coach

Mainland head basketball coach Joe Giddens said being on top meant his team had to be “near perfect” every night.

“When you’re up top, it’s hard because everybody’s going to be chipping away at you,” he said. “But going into the season, I didn’t expect us to be where we were at, I didn’t expect us to have 22 wins and four losses. I didn’t expect that, but I’ll take it.”

Juniors Kade Manley and Reece Casto led the Buccaneers with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Sophomore guard Kadin Flores started for Canyon Powers, who had an Achilles injury. Powers averaged 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals this season. Giddens said he tried to play Powers because of his status as a senior, but he was having difficulty moving.

“All season, he’s been a part of the offense we’ve been working on,” Giddens said. “Not having him hurt us big time, and we had to make adjustments.”

Giddens said that of the 14 players on the team, only Manley had ever played in the postseason. A lack of that experience can make it tough for a player, he said. Last year, Forest won 67-57 in the 1-6A Region quarterfinals against Crestview and lost 42-31 against Lake Howell in the semifinals.

“It’s tough to lose when you have so many opportunities to win it, but it happened the way it happened,” Giddens said. “It’s tough because I just wanted those seniors to have the opportunity and experience (of the state championship tournament).”

Mainland was comprised of football players Flores, Jaden Parks, Chevin Davis Jr. and Keith Simmons, and a bevy of transfers, including Beegie Gordon from DeLand, Powers and Ja Curry from Pine Ridge, Davon Jones from Spruce Creek and Casto, from Seabreeze who joined the Bucs one month before the season. 

Giddens said it was key to get the players to gel as a team. He implemented a variety of team bonding activities, including conditioning and running, to get his players to rely on and push one another. He said it is an adjustment for players transferring in to take on a different role in a new environment. 

“That’s the beauty of coaching (bringing players together),” he said. “I make it appealing because they are going to get the best opportunities to play here, at Mainland. I make sure I take advantage of that, so guys come in and can sacrifice their ego for the depth of the team.”

The brotherhood and camaraderie the players demonstrated throughout the season were special and ultimately resulted in success, Giddens said.

“I think what surprised me the most about them is how quickly they became family with each other — being there for each other, trusting each other and being able to push each other without conflict,” Giddens said. “Once the season started, we came out against Bayside [winning 90-39], and we were rolling. Everybody continued to buy in. As the season went on, they got better and better.”

Seniors Gordon, Powers, Jones and Curry made significant impacts to Mainland's accomplishments this year. They will be leaving Manley and Casto to guide a young group of players next season. Manley finished the season with team highs of 15.8 points per game and 3.6 assists.

Giddens said he hopes his players learned what perseverance, sacrifice and hard work are about. 

“They were able to come together and do something special,” he said. “They were able to put egos aside. I hope they understand that they developed and became good young men, not just basketball players, that they’re going to be good fathers and good leaders in our community.”

Colleges have contacted Giddens and his coaching staff about many of their players. He said the main goal is to fight hard and open up opportunities for his seniors to attend college and play ball at the next level. 

“I hope my seniors understand that they’re loved and they are a key part of what we do,” he said. “I hope they leave here better young men, better people, with a better outlook on life and opportunities to take advantage of. And when the door knocks, be ready to go.”

 

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