Despite a couple of three-game regular-season losing streaks, the Arlington Elite sixth-grade Division 1 team got hot at the right time to win the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League tournament title.
The Arlington Travel Basketball squad was 3-0 in the tournament, and won its final four games to finish with an 11-6 overall record.
In the playoffs, the Elite defeated Vienna, 54-39, in the first round; Great Falls, 52-47, in the semifinals; then Reston, 54-48, in the finals.
Henry Freeman-Moore of the Elite was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
“When we started the season in October, we told this team they had what it took to win a championship,” said Elite coach Nicko Esherick, who played basketball at Yorktown High School. “Being together for almost six months, there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs. But these boys really dug deep and came together at the end of the season.”
Other players for the Elite included Alex Nutter, John Kendrick, Jaylen Kendrick, Dominic Karmis, Oliver Brose, Ryland Youngdahl, Oliver Ramirez, Tyler Sullivan and Leo Douglas.
“Throughout it all, you could tell they really liked being around each other, became friends and were excited to get in the gym,” Esherick told ARLnow. “It’s a great group of young men who have bright futures ahead.”
Mark Esherick and Noah Abdeen were the assistant coaches.
