Photo courtesy of Addison Short
Mayo Boys Basketball on a 5 game winning streak with upcoming crosstown rivals trying to find ways to bounce back.
The Boys of Mayo are relying on their younger players to step up big time for this upcoming second half of season, especially against Century on February 20th who are currently 12-6 sitting in 3rd place in the Big 9. They played Century earlier this year and lost 56-37, but anything can happen in a heated rivalry.
Photo courtesy of Carson Skime
Mayo is currently 9-9 sitting in 6th out of 12 teams in the Big 9. The boys lost to both crosstown rivals a couple weeks ago. The team is working to avoid that fate again. Trying to find ways to beat Century and John Marshall, captain Sawyer Markham says, “we need to keep playing as hard as we possibly can, because Century and JM are definitely beatable if we do all the little things right.” The team’s standout senior captain and point guard is averaging 21.5 ppg, well above last year’s average of 13.6 ppg. Markham has been taking over the games, showing how dominant he is.
The Spartans of Mayo are 6-1 in the last seven games and really starting to figure it out. Senior Captain Ben Heywood explained that, “Our chemistry as a team has grown immensely as the season has progressed. Given that our team is so young this year, we knew that after some time the pieces would start to fall into place.”
With a focus on Century and JM games coming up, each day the Spartans have improved on their ability to play as a team. Although any people were doubting them this year, Coach Braden Markham was a firm believer in the team’s ability to get the job done; Markham is the boys head coach and father to senior star point guard Sawyer Markham. Many people wondered how this year’s team would be different from those of other years. The Spartans coach explained that, “The last two years we have relied heavily on our seniors. This season, we are relying on so many sophomores to step up, on and off the court, and we have been focusing heavily on the defensive side, knowing we aren’t a very big team.” Mayo is fighting for their season right now, currently with a .500 record. As previously stated, things have turned around the past few weeks.
Photo courtesy of Carson Skime
After starting 3-7, Sophomore Will Gyarmaty noted that, “We had a four-game losing streak at one point, but we quickly responded by winning five in a row, showing how mentally tough we are.” Will Gyarmaty has been a great addition to the team this year and has stepped up big time.
It will be interesting to see the matchups on February 20th as the Spartans of Mayo will travel to take on the Panthers of Century.
