The Sunnyslope Boys’ Basketball team prepared ahead of time on Friday for their big State Championship game against Perry on March 8.
The team went to practice at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Friday afternoon.
Sunnyslope will be playing Perry High School, 3-peat State Champions for the coveted State title.
Just two years ago, Sunnyslope was playing on the same court against Perry for the same championship, but ultimately didn’t end up on top.
With an influx of transfers and new players, Sunnyslope’s Boys Basketball team is striving for greatness.
“We came here out freshman year and we lost. That was a bad loss, but we have come back to try to get our revenge, and win the game,” said Cristian Simmons.
Sunnyslope played Perry at home on December 13th and lost with a score of 52-61.
The boys aren’t nervous though, in fact, they believe they aren’t the same team that played Perry that night.
“We weren’t well prepared as a team. But now, I feel like we’ve all come together. We’ve all learned each other and how to play with each other. So I feel like it’ll be a totally different game,” said Simmons.
Coach Ray Portela agrees and claims that the team is miles ahead of where they were three months ago.
“They got the better of us, but we always tell ourselves, we don’t want to be our best then, we want to be our best come around March time. I think we are playing our best ball right now. We’ve evolved, we’ve kind of grown to trust each other a little bit more and know what we can do offensively and defensively,” said Portela.
This doesn’t mean that the game will be a walk in the park, and there is still wavering anxiety surrounding the game.
“[Before the game,] I really just like to take some deep breaths, relax, think about what I need to do, and just go out onto the court and try to do my best to do it,” said Nash Parmley.
Many credit Perry as an ‘unstoppable team’; this doesn’t scare Sunnyslope though.
“We want to take advantage of our opportunity, and we want to show Perry a good game,” said Portela.
They have been preparing for this match all season with the help of their diverse opponents.
Simmons said, “We played a lot of the top teams in California and just the nation in general. So, like just playing that competition and always seeing the best competition in the nation has really helped us prepare to come back to Arizona and play in the state competition.”
The team dynamic has also shifted, with more leadership shown from each of the players.
“Del[ton Prescott] really speaks his mind on the court. If you do something wrong, he’s not afraid to tell you what to do differently and how to fix it,” said Parmley.
During practice, it was clear that every player was putting in 110% effort and passion.
“We brought Kade in this year. Nash has really stepped up. Owen has really stepped up,” said Simmons.
The team practiced fluidly together through various drills and scrimmage points before huddling up for a motivational speech from Portela.
It is clear that the Vikings are here to win and bring the glorious State title back to Dan Mannix Gym.
Make sure to come and support your Sunnyslope Vikings Boys’ Basketball team tonight at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum at 8pm.
Go Green!