The junior high basketball teams wrapped up the season last week with the junior varsity tournament. The previous week the varsity teams finished the successful season off with the varsity tournament.
Local junior high teams competed in the tournaments which found the two local junior highs on top of several different games.
Helper Junior High began both tournaments on a rocky road for the girls teams. Both varsity and junior varsity teams lost in the first round knocking the teams out of the tournament.
Despite not finishing in the top three at the tournaments, the Helper girls teams have shown improvements throughout the season. Every game the team played, the sheer determination was obvious, while the excitement each girl felt during competition spread like wildfire throughout the gymnasiums. Although the Helper girls did not have an extraordinary tournament, they did have an extraordinary season.
The Helper boys on the other hand, did fair quite well at the junior high tournaments. The varsity team started out quite well and finished in second place in the region, losing to Canyon View in the final game.
The boys junior varsity team however was knocked out early on in the tourney as the San Rafael Bulldogs defeated the Helper Rams. The bulldogs would move on to win the region championship.
The Mont Harmon Pirates had a good show at both tournaments, with each team finishing in the top three. The varsity tournament found both the girls and boys teams in the final round, however each team did finish with a second place victory.
The Pirates varsity girls team has played well throughout the season. At the tournament, the talent on the team was quite obvious, with the girls competing in the championship game. The Pirates came quite close to finishing the game on top, however the Pirates lost to the Bulldogs, 37-30.
Marquette Potts had a terrific tournament showing. Potts was named to the all tourney team for her brilliant performance. Potts will now look forward to entering the high school level next year, after leaving Mont Harmon this year.
The varsity girls team has had an outstanding season this year. The team finished the regular season as co-champions in the league. The second place finish was only icing on the cake for the talented varsity team.
The Pirates junior varsity team also completed the tournament with a second place finish, with a league championship for the season. The girls, who lost to Canyon View in the championship game, have also had a tremendous season and look forward to returning next year and playing for the Mont Harmon team.
The boys varsity team also had a good showing at the region tournament. The team finished in third place after losing to Canyon View, the championship winners, by the score of 61-53 in the semi-final round.
The junior varsity boys team competed strong at the tournament. The Pirates defeated Canyon View 56-44 in the semi-final round. After advancing to the final match up, the Pirates lost to the Bulldogs 59-50, thus the Pirates finished the tourney off with a second place finish.
The two local junior high teams have represented the county well this season. The athleticism and sportsmanship showed by the teams have far exceeded the junior high levels. Many players have great talent and will continue to use these skills either at the high school level next year, or while returning to play next season for the junior high squads.
Junior high basketball season ends successfully
