On January 20th, the McKale Center hosted Sahuaro, along with several other schools, for its 21st annual MLK Basketball Classic put on by Coaches for Charity. Our Varsity Girls Basketball, currently standing at 18-7, was sent to represent the Cougars against Mica Mountain, whose record stands at 17-7. Our Varsity Cheer team and band also headed up to cheer on our players.
A heated game against one of the top teams in the district brought all sorts of fans out. With both teams being in the top 3 in their region (4A Kino), every quarter had close calls. The Cougars and Thunderbolts scores rarely strayed far from each other during the first 3 quarters, but the 4th was when Mica got their lead (but not by much). The clock ticked down, and the score kept switching in favor of Sahuaro, then Mica, then Sahuaro, but Mica eventually won with a score of 53-44.
Senior Carly Coolidge wasn’t able to play on the court her junior year due to an injury, so it made her first and last time even more bittersweet. She reflects on her performance saying, “I think my defense could have been a lot better and just being more patient on offense would have helped us out a lot.” It was sad to walk away with a loss, especially since it is her last year, but Botkin encouraged her and the team by saying, “…after that loss, we have kind of put it behind us, and we seem to be playing much better every game.”
During halftime, a staff member is recognized for their service to their school, and Coach Al was chosen this year. He decided to open up about what this meant to him: “It was a special moment by me being an African American and going through it and knowing my history about Martin Luther King. I really really took that to heart and I cherish it and I’ll always keep that in my heart. Especially for the school to recognize and express and show gratitude for what I do around the school is an awesome feeling and to be noticed for something you do every day is a good thing.”
Following the recognition, Mica Mountain’s Varsity Cheer team performed their Game Day routine for their upcoming competition. A Game Day routine consists of stunts, cheers, signs, and spiriting. Saving the best for last, our very own Sahuaro Varsity Cheer team performed a specially choreographed routine for the night, featuring stunts, front flips, and dancing.
Once the game concluded, head coach Steve Botkin said, “I thought we played really, really hard. We missed a lot of shots and I think we were a little nervous, and playing in that arena, everything’s different about shooting and the lights and the size and everything else. So I thought we played hard, we didn’t shoot the ball very well, and I think that’s what hurt us, but I think our defense was good and I think it was fun but it was kind of a learning experience.”
MLK also held matches for St. Augustine vs Desert Christian, Bisbee vs Santa Rita, RUHS vs Buena, Coolidge vs The Gregory School, Pueblo vs Catalina Foothills, Sabino vs Palo Verde, Tucson High vs Salpointe Catholic, and finally an Elementary exhibition for the young basketball players.
