Warriors down Bears to finish with perfect record

The Newport-Mesa Warriors, a fifth- and sixth-grade boys’ team in the National Junior Basketball’s Division 2, defeated the Bears, 54-34, to complete an undefeated season (10-0) Sunday.

Warriors Coach Charley Hurst said his players never appeared nervous about finishing the season with a perfect record.

“They just had a great time,” Hurst said. “We had smart players. I could tell from the first practice that they were smart. They listened and understood. We were able to work on things you almost couldn’t do with some all-star teams.”

The Warriors included four all-stars. Matt Hurst, the point guard, as well as Cole Norris, Trent Dill and Preston Dexter were the all-stars for the Warriors.

Charley Hurst, Matt’s father, said the team’s strength was its depth, as everyone contributed.

The Warriors, who also include TK McWhertor, Will Van Dalsem, Jason Knapp, Milad Rohani and Jake Hastings, plan to do more.

Over the next three Sundays, they will compete in a championship-type series, taking on other NJB teams with similar records.

“That should be fun,” Charley Hurst said.

— From staff reports