Sunnyslope Varsity Boys Basketball won the Arizona Open Division State Championship by defeating St. Mary’s 60-51 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on March 7.
The game was a hard-fought matchup between the two teams.
At the end of the first quarter, St. Mary’s barely led 11-10.
However, Slope took the lead at the end of the second quarter 25-24.
The third quarter was when things began to shift.
St. Mary’s led 43-39, but the Vikings were still fighting.
A controversial call was made against St. Mary’s Player Cameron Williams.
The call stirred aggravation and resulted in a technical foul against St. Mary’s Head Coach Damin Lopez.
Following the foul, Slope began to creep back into the lead.
The team played their hearts out for the rest of the game.
With 90 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Slope’s lead was growing 52-48.
The Vikings stayed strong with a 6-point lead, 57-51, with only 16 seconds remaining.
The crowd went wild as the buzzer went off, Slope taking home the state championship 60-51.
Junior Delton Prescott had a noticeable performance, scoring 16 points.
It was no surprise that Senior Rider Portela was named MVP: Portela had 16 points, 17 rebounds, and two assists.
“I played my butt off and that’s all really I could ask for,” said Portela during an interview with AzCentral.
In the same interview, Head Coach Ray Portela spoke about adaptations the team had to make.
“They [St. Mary’s] were being a little more physical than we were,” said Portela.
In response, Slope had to amp up on their physicality.
In an interview with BJ Media, Coach Portela applauded the team’s commitment to each other and the game.
“They just play hard, they play together, they play smart, and they believe in each other, and they’re confident in each other’s abilities, and it just showed at night on both ends of the floor,” said Portela.
Portela also credited St. Mary’s talent.
“It’s great to see the talent Arizona just get better and better,” said Portela.
The team also thanked fans for their support.
“Sunnyslope and its community are the backbone to what we do as a program and we are forever grateful for the support they give us,” said Senior Kaleb Seow.
Slope’s fanbase contributed to the players’ success and Saturday night was a clear example of it.
While the team is heavily made up of seniors, the future is still bright.
In an interview with Northeast Valley News, Junior Darius Wabbington said, “Watch out-we’ve got more coming.”
Wabbington is alluding to the National Championship tournament happening over Spring Break.
Slope, along with 7 selected teams from across the country, will be headed to New Jersey to battle it out for the National Championship.
Slope’s success isn’t just luck- it’s a culmination of years of hard work, determination, and grit.
