The Sand Devils were the runners-up in this year’s Antelope Canyon Holiday Classic after losing to the Rancho Rams 65 to 28 in the championship game last weekend.

Page had a first-round bye, then beat Estrella Foothills 59 to 39 in the second round. As a courtesy, they also played Pinon in place of a team that dropped out of the tournament. They beat Pinon 65 to 32. The victory over Estrella Foothills qualified Page for the championship round, where they faced off against the very talented players from Rancho High School (Las Vegas).

The Rams run a fast-paced offense. That’s fine. So does Page. Defensively, they ran a hard-nosed, well-executed full-court press throughout most of the game.

The Rams also have a big team. With the exception of one player, all the Rancho players stand 6 foot 1 or taller. Austine Onyekonye is 6 foot 6, and R’Zha Whittle stands 6 foot 8. 

Most of the Ram’s starters and key players were also returning players from last year, and they played with a read-your-mind level of smoothness that’s only seen from players who have spent a lot of hours together on the court.

Sand Devils head basketball coach Justin Smith knew they’d be a big challenge for his team. For that reason, they were the first ones he invited to the tournament. Playing a team with the skill sets and talent that Rancho brings to the court is the best way for Smith to learn his team’s weaknesses and strengths.

“We definitely like playing tough teams,” Smith said. “Battling it out with a team that’s better than we are is the best way to what my teams made of and how far they’re willing to go.”

In the game’s opening quarter, the Sand Devils stayed with the Rancho Rams point for point, exchanging the lead back and forth like a hot potato. But Page’s offense stalled in the second quarter, scoring only 2 points. By halftime, Rancho had built a 37 to 16 lead. For Page, the third quarter was a little better (they scored 10 points), but the Rancho defense held them to just two points in the fourth quarter. 

The final score read Page 26, Rancho 65.

Despite losing by 37 points, Smith liked what he saw from his team.

“We got beat, but we battled hard,” he said after the game. “We took a lot of big steps forward in this tournament and not many backward. I feel good about what I saw in my players.”

After seeing his team in action, Smith is very optimistic about where he can take his team.

“There are some things I’ve been wanting to do for two years, but mentally they weren’t there yet,” he said. “I think this team is. Seeing what they did, the way they stepped up this weekend, I think they’re ready.”

Page’s Tyree Stingley and Joseph Benally were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Sand Devils return to the court Monday, Dec. 11, with a home game against Winslow.