The Sanford boys’ basketball team saw what it took to get to the championship last season, now the Mustangs want to use that growth to win it all.
Sanford steam-rolled its way to the Class 2A state championship game before falling to Yuma 59-43, and head coach Brice Crowther has faith that his team has what it takes to make another chase for the title.
“We feel we have the talent and mindset to make a deep run,” the coach said. “They are hungry and understand what it takes to make it that far.”
It definitely helps that the No. 3-ranked Mustangs return their top two scorers from last season, 6-foot-4 senior McCray Larsen and 5-foot-11 junior Cash Caldon.
The duo complements each other very well on the basketball court and were a driving force in the Mustangs finishing last season 22-5 overall.
Larsen, who was chosen to the 2A all-state team last season, is tough to defend in the paint. He nearly averaged a double-double with a team-best 13.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. Peyton learned how tough he is to contain when he powered his way to 24 points in the quarterfinal matchup.
Caldon, on the other hand, provides a perimeter threat for the Mustangs. He led the team in steals and three-pointers and was the top scorer in the championship game with 15 points.
“Cash and McCray are going to play a huge role for us this year,” Crowther said. “They have grown in their leadership skills.”
Sanford did lose a strong group of seniors last season and a lot of size from last year. But the hope is that the Mustangs talent on the perimeter will make up for the size and give them another weapon for defenses to contend with.
“(The seniors) did a lot for us and we are working on filling those holes,” the coach said. “Our guards have really worked hard to make up for our lack of size.”
The road isn’t going to be easy in 2A, with Limon and Wray bringing back a talented squad to compete with the Mustangs. But Sanford has a number of players that are going to step up this season, including seniors Justin McCarroll and Craig Ford – as well as slew of underclassmen that bring winning pedigree after seeing time on the varsity team last season and also helping the Mustangs’ football team advance to the quarterfinals of the Class 8-man playoffs.
“We have multiple guys who have put in a lot of work to help contribute this year.” Crowther said. “Our goals are to show up every day and bring it. We hope we can string enough of those days together to be right in the mix of things come the end of the season.”