Daniel Mendenhall is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Sunrise Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com

The Sunrise Mountain boys’ varsity basketball team will look to solidify a spot in the 5A State Tournament with a win at Raymond S. Kellis on Tuesday night.

This will be the final game of the season for the Mustangs and although they may still be able to sneak into the playoffs with a loss, this is not the preferred way to end the season.

“We’re super excited for our last game,” said Head Coach Gary Rath. “If we win, we’ll be in the 5A State Tournament for sure. If we lose, we will most likely sneak in, but we’d like to get in with a win.”

Sunrise looks to carry some momentum heading into the postseason after making their division’s tournament for the past four seasons. While sitting at a 7-11 record overall for the season, the Mustangs will look to keep their heads up and build off of their last game.

“We played really well Friday night, got a win over Paradise Valley, so we’re hoping that carries over and we continue to play well,” Rath said.

Senior starting guard JJ Martin feels a sense of leadership with his team as the current leader in points per game for the Mustangs.

“I try to be a leader out there for all the younger guys to see what they can do next year. Hopefully they take a page out of my book,” said Martin.

The team expresses fundamentals as a large part of their game, and the importance of simplicity is very apparent.

“I try to get open as much as I can, set screens, see what they give me type of thing,” Martin said. “We gotta get boards, push the ball, don’t be selfish and we gotta play some defense.”

These are all goals that the team wishes to accomplish in anticipation of their season finale, a road game against the Raymond S. Kellis Cougars. The last time these two teams battled was on Jan. 12 at home, where Sunrise had overcome a point deficit after halftime to leave with a win.

“They beat us at their place last year, so our guys are gonna remember that,” Rath said. “We were also down 8 to them at halftime here, this year.”

These types of games motivate the Mustangs to perform that much better against a team they have been competitive with in recent matchups.

A new face that has stepped up a lot in recent times is multi-dimensional player Andrew Balian, who is also a member of the senior class.

“I can play all over,” Balian said. “If coach needs me to start at center, I’ll start at center. If our point guard gets a little tired, he can switch me to point guard. I learn all the spots.”

It is important for the Mustangs’ key players, such as Martin and Balian, to take control and lead their team to victory given their experience and abilities. Balian and Martin plan to use their versatility and scoring abilities to end the season on a positive note.

Sunrise Mountain will face off against Raymond S. Kellis at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night to round out the regular season.