Demary's Grit Sparks UConn to Sweet Sixteen

On March 23rd, Yukon powered into the Sweet 16 with a solid 73-57 win over UCLA in the NCAA tournament second round.

The big story was point guard, Silas de Mary, Jr., who battled back from a serious grade 2 high ankle sprained in calf injury to play 22 minutes.

Despite the pain, his presence sparked the Huskies, who outscored the Bruins by 22 points whenever he was on the floor.

The injury happened on March 14th in the Big E's final against St. John's, when de Mary tangled with a big man and got carried off.

He sat out the first round win over Furman, but pushed through round the clock rehab in pools and with trainers to return for this match-up.

It normally takes weeks to recover from something like that, but he refused to miss the fight.

Coach Dan Hurley called him a remarkable warrior, praising how he changed the team's defense and energy.

Teammates like Alex Caribon and freshman Braylon Mullins said his selfless play made everything easier, even with just two free throws on the board.

Last year as an eighth seed, Yukon fell early, but de Mary's transfer has elevated them to a second seed with a 31-5 record.

Carban led with a career high 27 points, while bench players like Jaden Ross added key bursts.

De Mary focused on defense and setting up plays, proving his value beyond the score sheet.

Now the Huskies head to Washington DC next week to face Michigan State in a tough bracket with St. John's and Duke lurking.

De Mary plans to keep grinding to her full strength, vowing to give everything no matter what.

His grit embodies Yukon's run, keeping their title hopes alive deep into March madness.