San Tan Charter Pulls Away from Valley Christian to Capture Copper Division Title

The San Tan Charter Roadrunners took down the Valley Christian Trojans 53-43 during Saturday night's Boys Basketball Copper Division Championship in a low-scoring affair.

Although the Roadrunners controlled most of the game, it was the Trojans that jumped out to an early lead.

Senior guard Colby Jessup came out on fire, getting multiple buckets in the paint and hitting a three-pointer to give Valley Christian a 10-5 lead midway through the first quarter.

Adjustments were quickly made by San Tan Charter, though, as they would proceed to go on a 12-2 run to end the quarter. 

Helping lead the charge was junior guard Peyton Lubash, who made both of his shot attempts to total five points in the quarter. 

San Tan Charter senior guard Kristo Jackson would then fire a deep three to end the quarter and give the Roadrunners a 17-12 lead at the end of the quarter. 

The incredible run would continue at the beginning of the second quarter. 

Jackson would hit another three alongside San Tan Charter junior guard Jase Benjamin, who hit one as well.

At one point, the run was 23-4 in favor of the Roadrunners. 

San Tan Charter head coach Kyli Crooms said defense was the biggest thing they adjusted to go on such a dominant stretch.

“We were just trying to rely on our defense,” Crooms said. “I told them one play at a time, keep defending.”

The Trojans were able to cut the lead somewhat before the end of the first half. 

Valley Christian sophomore guard Max Johnson got a layup to go in alongside Jessup, getting another basket before halftime. 

San Tan Charter held a 29-20 lead at halftime. 

In the third quarter, Valley Christian started to close the gap. 

The Trojans kept going to Jessup, who was making almost every shot he was taking at the rim.

After letting up a 9-2 run to begin the quarter, San Tan Charter started to find their rhythm again.

San Tan Charter junior guard Tori Street was able to score five points in the third quarter and be a big contributor to keep his teams lead. 

Jackson was also able to score another five points and hit a crucial three-pointer in the third quarter for San Tan Charter. 

During the fourth quarter, the Roadrunners' defensive identity showed as they allowed only nine points the whole quarter. 

A big contributor to the defense was Benjamin, who finished the game with one block and three steals. 

“We just keyed in on our gameplan,” Benjamin said. “We did just that. We came up with big stops that led to big shots.”

Sealing the game for the Roadrunners came down to the free-throw line. 

Lubash was sent to the free-throw line eight times and knocked down seven of them. 

The consistency on defense and from the free-throw line allowed San Tan Charter to keep their lead and win the game. 

The season was special for San Tan Charter, and they are the 2026 Copper Division champions.

A key piece to the program's success was Jackson; he was with the Roadrunners all four years and transformed into a leader for the team. 

“Since my freshman year, I stayed here with my coach. I trusted him,” Jackson said. “As you can see, it got me two championships just from listening and putting in the work.”

The special thing about the 2026 San Tan Charter team was the commitment to becoming champions.

“Everybody wanted to win the ring this year,” Crooms said. “Everyone wanted the common goal of being the champion of small ball.”