The 2026 Brentwood Christian School boys basketball season was a story of perseverance, trust, and transformation. The season was more of a struggle than in years past, but the Bears still managed to finish tied for second in district and earn the fourth seed in the TAPPS playoffs.

Led by key players such as junior Evan Berger and seniors Zach Czerlinsky and Caleb Catron, BCS managed to win 17 games and continue to provide a strong program for student-athletes.

A standout game was on Jan. 12 at Regents School of Austin. Berger delivered 14 points, 3 assists, 8 rebounds, 11 steals, and 2 blocks, helping secure a 53-51 victory.

“My proudest moment was probably the Regents game,” Berger said. “It was just great overall team play and cohesion.”

“Our biggest highlight was beating Regents at their place just because we really kept it together when things stopped going our way,” Czerlinsky added.

Midseason, the team struggled with mental focus, but senior leadership helped pull the group out of a slump, sparking a remarkable winning streak. After tough losses to district opponents Tyler Grace and Brook Hill, BCS ripped off six straight wins to close the regular season.

“The seniors that came along knocked us out of our funk,” Berger said.

But mental focus wasn’t the only team challenge. In addition to breaking in four new starters, the team lost its fifth from last year, Czerlinsky, for the first part of the season due to a football injury suffered in September.

“The challenge I want to focus on is Zach Czerlinsky getting hurt and missing half the season,” said head coach Dustin Karrer. “It was a scary situation, and we were thankful for him to fully heal.
“He showed a tremendous amount of strength and courage coming back from that and finished his season as the defensive MVP of the entire district.”

Czerlinsky’s return, and trusting the process, helped pull the Bears together as the season went on.
“The biggest challenge was probably at the beginning of the season we didn’t work together well and throughout the season we all became more like family,” Catron said.

The Bears lost to state runner-up Grace Prep Academy on Feb. 18 in the TAPPS playoffs.
Key losses include seniors such as Czerlinsky and Nathaniel Hernandez, who will be missed. Coach Karrer praised the growth of the younger players, too, as the focus shifts to next season.

“Evan Berger and [freshman] Chigozie Okorafor grew a lot into their new roles on the team,” Karrer said. “Both stepped up and had really good years.

“[Junior] Aiden Ott also showed a ton of growth and will be a huge part of what we do going forward.”

The Bears were honored at the all-district level via Czerlinsky (first team, defensive MVP) and Ott (first team, Newcomer of the Year). Catron, senior Luke Weed, Berger, Okorafor and junior Jovan Singh also earned all-district honors.

Looking ahead, offseason training will be key.

“The offseason is a major emphasis here and where players are made,” Karrer said. “This is a time when guys can work on new skills, fine-tune the parts of their games we lean on them for, and compete in the weight room to get stronger and more explosive.”

*This article appeared in the March 2026 issue of The Bear Facts, Brentwood Christian School's quarterly newspaper.