SunRidge soars to county championship in middle school boys basketball

The SunRidge Middle School boys basketball team completed a perfect 10-0 season with a 47-37 victory in the Orange County Public Schools County Championship March 15.

By Steven Ryzewski
| 11:50 a.m. April 6, 2017

Sports

WINTER GARDEN The SunRidge Middle School boys basketball team defeated Carver Middle School 47-37 March 15 in the Orange County Public School County Championship Game at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando.

The victory concluded a perfect 10-0 season for the Eagles in coach Alex Miranda’s fourth year at the helm. In 2014 and 2015, SunRidge’s boys team finished with a final record around .500. In 2016, the boys went 4-2 and made the playoffs, where they were defeated in the quarterfinals.

The Eagles put it together in 2017, though, first winning their cluster and then the county.

“Some of those guys came back as eighth-graders, and we finally got over the hump,” Miranda said. “This is probably our strongest team, by far. It’s a good bunch of kids and they were really focused.”

SunRidge won each of its 10 victories by at least 10 points, including two victories over Carver. With the pressure on in the championship game, Miranda said his team displayed maturity.

“Clutch play and free throws toward the end of the game (were big),” Miranda said. “Being smart and not turning over the ball was big for us.”

Trey Moss led the team offensively, averaging 23 points per game, including 14 points in the fourth quarter alone of the championship game. On the boards, Joanes Polynice averaged seven rebounds per contest while blocking eight shots, total, this season.

Other standout performances include that of William Held, the team’s defensive MVP, and Stone Rivers, the recipient of the team’s Sixth Man award. Miranda also praised front-court players Steven Stutsman and Parmveer Singh, as well as team manager Derrick McRae.

Four Eagles — Brian Sanchez, Brady Scott, Jalen DeBose and Diems Narcisse — will be returning next season, while the other players will all move to the high-school level, with most attending West Orange. There, Miranda is confident they will compete to make the team and continue to represent the program at SunRidge well.