Staff photo / Brian Yauger Grand Valley senior Braden Hart puts up a shot during the first quarter of Saturday's contest against Dalton. Hart scored a game-high 25 points in the loss.

SALEM — It was a season to remember for the Grand Valley Mustangs, but all seasons come to a close eventually.

Grand Valley ran out of steam Saturday, falling short in its district title tilt against Dalton, 61-54.

The Mustangs fell in a deficit early, and despite inching back, Dalton pulled away each time they got close.

“That was the case about three minutes in. We’re probably down 14 right off the rip and just clawed back, and tried to chip away,” Mustangs coach Justin Turk said. “We’d get down 10, then we’d cut it down to four or five, and that’s just our guys not wanting it to end and trying to give it everything that they have.”

Few players exemplified that mentality more on Saturday than senior Braden Hart.

Hart finished with a game-high 25 points and was all over the court. Whether it was a loose ball or a clutch shot, Hart was there.

With star sophomore Carter Turk, who finished with 17, heavily guarded by the Bulldogs, it was up to the senior to set the pace for Grand Valley.

“He didn’t want it to end,” Turk said of his senior. “Carter (is usually) our best guy. He’s our number one, he’s first team all-district and will get all-state most likely, so they are spotting up on him and double-teaming him. So we were able to get to (Hart) with a couple looks and he takes that as disrespect. He goes out, and the senior certainly didn’t want to have the year end and puts 25 up. Hats off to him.”

Hart is one of three seniors on the Mustangs’ roster along with Ben Cozad and Sammy Goforth.

The trio helped guide Grand Valley to one of its best seasons in school history. The 2024-25 Mustangs set a program-high in wins, finishing with a 21-4 mark.

“We were led by three of our 12th graders,” Turk said. “Guys that played hard and carried us all the way through and played with relentless effort. … Just proud of our guys.”

Grand Valley also reached the district title game, another program first.

With those milestones, including a District Player of the Year award for Carter Turk, coach Turk preached the gospel of enjoying each moment along the way. As happy as they were about the destination, it was just as much, if not more, about the journey.

“We tried to make sure we were enjoying the experience,” Turk said. “With 21 wins, most in program history, (and our first) district (title game appearance, we wanted them to) just enjoy the moments. We were trying to make sure we were hanging around with guys at spaghetti dinners, get-togethers and hopefully ultimately, we may look back at that and they just appreciate the moments with each other.”

Dalton will face Campbell in the Division VI, Canton Regional semifinals on Tuesday at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse. Start time is set for 6 p.m.