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Fresh/Soph Stanton Tourn. Finals

The Stanton freshman and sophomore team concluded their season on Saturday, Feb. 27, in the championship game of their own tournament against Norfolk High. "This entire tournament was an opportunity for us to see where we stand in comparison to some of the stronger programs in the area," said Coach Caskey. "In both the semifinal and final we matched up against physical, athletic and well coached teams. That kind of experience is really going to help us in the future." Right from the opening tip, the Mustangs rose to the challenge and played one of their best defensive games of the season. Against the bigger Panthers the posts needed to deny entry passes, and the guards needed to help by providing good pressure on the ball, and both groups did that. After one quarter the Mustangs had jumped out to an 11-6 lead, and were able to advance the lead to 22-14 at the half. "Norfolk prevented us from getting easy baskets in transition, so we had to focus on getting good shot opportunities in our offense and attacking the offensive boards. The effort in keeping possessions alive was crucial to getting some important and difficult baskets down the stretch," Caskey said. In the second half the Mustangs were able to extend the lead and win by a final score of 37-28. Scoring was led by Spencer Nickolite with 15. Kody Erbst followed with 8, Stephen Peterson added 6, with Michael Eberly and Blake Heppner each tallying 4.

This group of young men has both a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to. They experienced a great deal of success during the course of the season and should be well prepared for whatever the future brings. On the season the team finished with a record of 10-2, and in addition to reigning as champions of their own tournament the Mustangs were winners in the Wisner tournament and brought home third place at Oakland. As they move forward they need to continue work hard to improve their skills, but the tournament was strong evidence that when they play together and bring their best effort they can play with and beat anybody. Maximum effort and great team work are the foundations of what the basketball program is trying to build, and as long as those elements are present the team is going to meet its goals. The sky is the limit for this group and they should be playing for more championships in the years to come.