Chargers claim Jones Tournament title, Mbroh MVP

After a shaky 3-9 start to the 2024-25 basketball season, and riddled with injuries to several key players, the Heritage Hall Men's Basketball team went into the Jones tournament with a point to prove and a chip on their shoulder.

They wanted to show that they can compete against good teams, and even more so, that they can WIN against those teams. The Chargers went into the tournament without standout sophomore forward T.J. Williams, as he suffered an ankle injury in a previous game. With all the odds stacked against them, they went into the tournament confident as ever.

Their first game of the Tournament was an overtime thriller against John Marshall, the Chargers looked to avenge their loss to the Bears earlier this season. Sophomore guard Xzavier Mbroh led the team in scoring with 18 points in the 64-58 overtime win. To go along with his scoring, "X" had 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He also made an impact on the defensive side with 4 steals. Another tournament standout for the Chargers was junior guard Denton Suthers, a great presence on offense and defense all season. Suthers averaged 10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game throughout the tournament.

Mbroh and Suthers would go on to earn All-Tournament first team honors, with Mbroh winning the Tournament MVP award.

Game two of the tournament was against the hosting Jones Longhorns. The Chargers came into this game with a ton of momentum from their exciting win against John Marshall. Head coach Dylan Sullivan's squad once again showed they can pull away with a win in a close game, winning 53-49. Senior guard Roman Welch stood out in this game, making an impact on both sides of the ball. Welch showed off his passing ability throughout the tournament with 2.5 assists per game, but was also able to get his own shot to fall at a rate of 10 points per game.

With the win against 17th ranked Jones, the Chargers faced 6A Enid in the Championship. The tough match-up for the Chargers once again came down to the wire. Behind a 24 point performance from Mbroh, Heritage Hall was able to clutch a 52-50 win over the Plainsmen.

More importantly, the Chargers captured the Jones Tournament Championship and a ton of confidence heading into the rest of the regular season and playoffs.

Written by George Robley '26
Photos by Tina Walker

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