The Saints completed their season with a score of 18-0
ATASCADERO — Atascadero’s Middle School basketball team, the Saints, completed their season with a score of 18-0. Sweeping wins out all of their league games and also winning the two tournaments that they competed in. Their undefeated season ended on Saturday, Dec. 18, with the Bill Harvey Memorial (Laguna) Tournament. The Tournament ran Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
“Going into the Laguna [Bill Harvey Memorial] Tournament, the end of the season tournament, we were undefeated still, and everybody told us that Laguna was the team to beat. Everybody said it would be Laguna against Atascadero, and it ended up being that,” said Head Coach, Brad Ernst. “I really wanted the boys to finish out the season strong because it would have been a little bit tough to watch them, you know, after a great season, lose the very last game. They did it [won]! I was proud of them for achieving that. A perfect season. It’s not easy.”
The final score of the season at the Bill Harvey Memorial (Laguna) Tournament was 48 to 37. Giving The Saints a clean sweep.
“It was a fantastic year. I was very, very proud of the boys. The work they put in,” added Ernst.
The Saint’s played a total of two tournaments, including The Flamson Tournament earlier in the season.
“We play probably about four games, and then we played the Flamson Tournament, that was four games in two days. We took all four of those. We got a trophy for that one,” Ernst said excitedly.
The team also participated in league games against Templeton Middle School, Lewis Middle School, Flamson Middle School, and Los Osos Middle School. Winning each and every game.
“We started off pretty good, there was one rough game against Templeton that was very close, and it could have gone either way. After that Templeton game, the boys just flipped a switch,” continued Coach Ernst. “Our defense was spectacular.”
The team is made up of 14 boys. And together, under the coaching of Ernst, and his assistant Coach, Sid Rodriguez, they remained undefeated at the end of the season. Those players are: Kason Betchard (#21), Braden Cady (#1), Logan Clevenger (#9), Isaac Dia (#8), Steven Ernst (#24), Jeremy Hendricks (#29), Damian Marano (#7), Dylan Martini (#35), Logan Missler (#5), Isaiah Rodriguez (#2), Skyler Tucker (#25), Lucas Vance (#32), Evan Warner (#3), and Weston Witt (#42).
“Our plan is for them [the team] to, obviously, get prepared to play in High School basketball. We took on 14 kids, knowing that playing time was going to be somewhat limited for some of them, but we saw great potential in them. So, we wanted to prepare them and get them ready for playing future basketball at the high school for the next four years. That’s our plan. I would very much assume that all of them will play. I sure hope so; I sure hope all of them will continue to play,” concluded Ernst.
Congratulations to The Saints for their undefeated season!
