Submitted photos – The McKinleyville players celebrate their tournament championship over the weekend.

The McKinleyville Middle School eighth graders closed out a perfect season with a big showing at the 55th annual Crescent City Jaycees basketball tournament over the weekend.

The Mack boys won all three of their games in the AAA bracket on the way to the championship, including a 32-24 win over Sisson Elementary out of Mt Shasta in the final.

That victory lifted McKinleyville to 27-0 on the season and capped a second straight unbeaten winter for this group of players, who also won all of their games as seventh graders.

And they achieved it with some outstanding defense.

“We played great defensively, and that’s why we won,” head coach Chris Shaw said. “We take pride in our defense and that’s how we’ve won all year and that’s what won us the tournament.”

With a roster of 13 players, McKinleyville had plenty of depth, including three players who were named all-tournament after big performances over the weekend.

Shooting guard Trevor Marsh was named MVP, while center Talon Turner and point Jake Brunner each also made the all-tourney team.

“He was our leader the entire year,” Shaw said of Marsh, while adding of Turner, “he dominated the entire tournament.”

The MVP was voted on by all of the coaches at the tournament, but Shaw admitted it could have gone either way.

“I think (Turner and Marsh) both deserved MVP and either could have got it,” the coach said.

Brunner also was outstanding at point guard and was particularly impressive on the offensive end.

“He ran our offense,” Shaw said. “He ran everything for us. Every time we needed a basket, he came up big for us.”

When a team goes undefeated — for a second straight season — it means it has plenty of depth, and that was the case for the Mack boys, with several other players also stepping up this winter, including power forward Becker Rine.

McKinleyville’s all-tournament selections Talon Turner, Trevor Marsh and Jake Brunner.

“He was another player we had who dominated,” Shaw said of Rine. “He’s tall, quick and every time he caught the ball he was looking to shoot.”

Hacher Matson, Tate Saso and Jeremiah Dillard each also played big roles on the way to the undefeated season and continually gave their teammates a lift.

“Those three were our energy guys,” Shaw said. “Whether they started or came off the bench, they came in with great energy and a positive attitude.

“They were always wanting to help their teammates out.”

AJ Esposito, Dash Clare, Issac Rousse, Connor Tatman, Robert Pool and Nii-li Smith rounded out a talented and deep roster and all 13 players played a role along the way.

And the collective attitude they brought to practice every day was one of the things that set them apart.

That and their basketball IQ.

“I threw a lot of stuff at them that even high school kids have difficulty understanding and they did it,” Shaw said. “I didn’t have any attitude problems and they worked their butts off.”

They also understood the importance of playing defense.

“Definitely our defense (was our strength),” the coach added. “Get stops and try to run and get easy baskets.

“We ran multiple offenses and they were able to see the open spots. They were incredibly smart.”

Assistant coaches Brady Burtchett and Ray Turner each also played a role in the team’s success and “had a big impact on the team,” according to Shaw.