Open Division boys basketball final breakdown: No. 1 Perry vs. No. 10 Sunnyslope
A 32-team tournament that began on Feb. 8 is finally finishing up. On Saturday, No. 1 Gilbert Perry and No. 10 Phoenix Sunnyslope will be playing their fifth game in 24 days when they meet at 5:30 p.m., for the first Open Devision boys basketball championship at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
They were able to withstand anybody who stood in the way. Perry, the preaseson No. 1 team, beat its four opponents by an average score of 77-50. Sunnyslope, the No. 10 seed, won its four games by an average score of 65-48 with only Phoenix St. Mary's a challenge, the Viking winning in overtime 63-62 in the quarterfinals.
Perry is big, phyisical and has 6A championship experience from last year's team that broke through behind 6-foot-8 Cody Williams and 6-8 Koa Peat. This Sunnyslope team has only one senior, but a coach, Ray Portela, who has won three state championships and had a state runner-up finish since 2016.
Let's break down the Open state championship game:
Perry (29-1) vs. Sunnyslope (25-5), Saturday, 5:30 p.m., at Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Perry won it all for the first time last year in 6A and this team is so much better. That's because both Williams (a senior) and Peat (a sophomore) are playing at a level not seen since Marvin Bagley III was a freshman leading Corona del Sol to its fourth straight state title in 2015.
That team was coached by Sam Duane Jr., who is on the brink of leading Perry to a second straight state title. Of course, Perry is the decided favorite. And not just because Williams (Colorado bound) and Peat, who are both 5-star recruits in ther classes, can take over the game. It's how they make everybody else around them succeed. They're the two most talented high school players in the state (take your pick on Player of the Year) and two of the most unselfish players in the state. They will give the ball up to each other and other teammates if there is an easier basket to be had. Ben Egbo has been a big cog in Perry's machine, as well as D'Andre Harrison. But then there is the sharpshooter, Barron Silsby, who can make big 3s. The Pumas get their offense rolling through their defense. And Williams and Peat ignite it with their length and ability to block and alter shots.
Sunnyslope is a tough, smart team that won't wilt in this one, not like it did in the 71-46 setback at Perry on Jan. 12. The Vikings were still getting used to playing with 6-6 Jai Anthoni Bearden, who was ineligible the first part of the season after trasnferring from Raymond S. Kellis. Portela said his young team played timid. During their 10-game winning streak, they've played with confidence and purpose, with freshmen guards John Mattingly and Rider Portela and wing Bearden leading the way. They'll need to move the ball as well as they have all season and hope that Perry struggles from the field. Perry has a way of letting a team hang for a quarter or two, before blast off. And when the Pumas take off, they're as good as any high school team that has come through Arizona in the last four decades.
Prediction: Perry 71, Sunnyslope 60
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Open basketball final breakdown: No. 1 Perry vs. No. 10 Sunnyslope
