SMS wins Superstition Athletic League Boys Basketball Title

March 18, 2016

Billye Paulson

Sacaton Middle School

Sacaton Middle School captured the Superstition Athletic League boys basketball championship Mar. 3 with a 60-43 victory over Toltec Middle School. “We worked really hard to get there,” eighth grader Phillip Johns, the team’s leading rebounder, said. “And I did it for my family, especially my sisters who pushed me and my brothers helped me get [to the championship].”

The Braves posted a 5-4 record during the regular season, outscoring their opponents on average by 26 points. Two of the losses were by forfeit due to transportation issues. The other two losses were by a combined seven points. “I could not be more proud of this team coming together at the right time to overcome adversities to end the season as the champions,” head coach D.J. Harris said.

JaQuar Alewine led the team in scoring, averaging 15 points per game. “I was very excited about winning the title because we played team ball and put forth an excellent effort,” Alewine, a seventh grader said. “All our hard work paid off.”

Johns put his 6-foot-1-inch size to use, averaging 14 rebounds per game. Another key player for the Braves was Martees June, an eighth grader, who dished out an average of 8 assists per game.

With the team losing only two eighth graders this season, next year’s team will once again be the one to beat in Superstition Athletic League play.