Is it the rally anthem “Our House”, by Al Nezy that pumps up the adrenaline when the Sand Devils rush the court at the beginning of each game or maybe Johnny Varner jazzing up the crowd with his jam “Cha Cha Cha Slide”, by DJ Casper, at halftime that is the secret to their seasonal success?

Could be a part of it, but the secret is they show up on home court and spin their skills on their opponents who, without a doubt, did not see it coming.
The Sand Devils have brought in their sixth consecutive win, most recently over the El Capitan Eagles out of Colorado City, Ariz. The final score of 61-26 is hinting to Page that they may be bringing home a banner for the Page High School gym.

Friday night’s game against the Eagles was nothing short of a lesson in, ‘Never give up because it isn’t over ‘till that buzzer sounds.’ Both teams put out the kind of energy and stamina great games are made of.

First quarter was Sand Devils’ gangbuster offense taking an immediate lead by 12 points using a steady motion offense, while their defense gave up just two points to the Eagles first four minutes. The Eagles realized their opponents meant business and stepped up their rebound plays.

Dainien Bitsinnie and Justin Salabiye turned up the heat with steals and landing two point jump shots, time after time. Defensively, Lane Dempsey and Jonah Larson got in on the rebound action to assist the team in fast break plays, Larson also finding the chance to land a three-point basket.
The teamwork of the Sand Devil’s starting line-up gave the Sand Devils a 26-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was a mid-court performance as the Eagles tried to recover steals by Sand Devil’s defense. Both teams racked up the fouls in the process.

The Eagles found it difficult to even get off a shot, due to the hustle of Sand Devils’ defense. The Eagles were only able to find the net once in the quarter.
The best play off the quarter was an alley-oop from Larson to Bitsinnie. The Sand Devils added another 16 points giving them a 42-9 lead at halftime.
After the half, the Eagles came back to the court aware the team they were playing had the endurance to keep scoring despite their lead. The Eagles pulled out their best defense and never waivered.

Boys basketball head coach Russ Skubal kept in the starting line rotating in the sixth man and second string players while trying out new plays. The Eagles showed they had stamina and tried to keep themselves in the game but Sand Devils broke out the cherry pick passes to put the Eagles in a cat and mouse game resulting in sweet lay ups by almost every Sand Devil who was rotated in and a three-point swish by Robert Smith. The Sand Devils dominated the third quarter extending their lead 57-19.

The fourth quarter was intense though the score was beyond reach for the Eagles. Taking the ball hoop to hoop by both teams gave the crowd something to cheer about. Sand Devils began to experiment with new plays while giving the whole team the chance to carry them out. The Eagles would not go quietly gaining another seven points before the final buzzer sounded. The final score was Sand Devil’s 61, Eagles 26.

It was the sixth consecutive win for the Sand Devils giving them a 13-3 win/loss record.

They travel to Holbrook this Saturday.