Junior Hoops Arizona

Desert Mountain's Rolando Rhymes Called "Cool Under Fire"

        Rolando Rhymes

"Ro runs our show.’’

Those are the words of Scottsdale Desert Mountain boys basketball coach Todd Fazio, in reference to junior point guard Rolando Rhymes.

Rhymes was the primary element to Tuesday’s (Feb. 19) Division I quarterfinal game against Mesa at Arizona State’s Wells Fargo Arena.

Rhymes ran the Wolves’ offense with a steady hand, scored when it was needed and played strong defense as Desert Mountain advanced to Thursday’s (Feb. 21) semifinal at Wells Fargo. Desert Mountain (25-5) will face either defending champion Tempe Corona del Sol or Goodyear Millennium at 7:45 p.m.

Rhymes scored 22 points, complementing forward Mark Andrews’ 24. Many of Andrews points..........

To read the complete AIA365.com article, click here.

Upset bid falls short for Mtn. Ridge, Cesar Chavez prevails

For the boys’ basketball team from Glendale Mountain Ridge, it was fun while it lasted.

The 23^rd-seeded Mountain Lions had everything to gain and nothing to lose, going up against No. 2 seed Laveen Cesar Chavez in a Division I quarterfinal game on Tuesday night (Feb. 19) at Arizona State University’s Wells Fargo Arena.

Mountain Ridge led most of the way before Cesar Chavez turned up the intensity on defense and rallied for a 56-52 victory.

Cesar Chavez (29-2) advances to face third-seeded Phoenix Pinnacle in a semifinal game on Thursday at Wells Fargo. Tipoff is 4:15 p.m. Mountain Ridge finished 17-11.

Cesar Chavez trailed by four points entering the fourth quarter, but outscored..........

To read the complete AIA365.com article, click here

Corona del Sol's Casey Benson and Pinnacle's Drew Benson Made It Happen

Both Corona del Sol and Pinnacle move on to the state semi-final games scheduled for Thursday night. 

"Top-seed Corona del Sol continued to feel the heat of trying to defend its Division I boys title Tuesday night and this time Millennium supplied the flame."   --- Les Wisley, AIA365 Staff Writer

"Surprise starter and participant Drew Bender, thought to be out for the tournament after re-injuring his left ankle in practice last week prior to sectionals, made four free throws in the final 34 seconds to help cinch the win."     --- Les Wisley, AIA365 Staff Writer

To read the AIA365.com article click here.

2013 AIA Division I Boys Basketball State February 19 Tournament Results and State Banner Prediction

    Corona del Sol | 2011-12 Champions

2012 - 13 Season Championship Favorite

We predicted correctly on 3 of the 4 Division I boys basketball games that were scheduled on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Arena.  The competition was so even that three out the four games where won within 5 points.     The semi-final round will take place on Thursday, February 21 at the Wells Fargo Arena featuring Pinnacle vs. Chavez at 4:15pm and Corona del Sol vs. Desert Mountain at 7:45pm.

How have the remaining four teams fared against each other this season?

Pinnacle has not played Chavez this year, but they did lose 69 - 65 to Corona del Sol on December 28 and beat Desert Mountain on two occassions by a score of 67 - 62 on January 21 and an 86 - 58 statement win on February 1.

Early in the season, on November 24, Cesar Chavez met up with Desert Mountain and won 61 - 58.   The biggest complaint about Chavez has been regarding their game schedule which some have critized as being too soft.   So far Chavez has been proving their critics wrong by reaching the state semi-finals.

The match-up between Corona del Sol and Desert Mountain will be an interesting one to watch since the word on the street all year long has been that Corona del sol, led by Casey Benson was expected to repeat the championship.   However, Desert Mountain's Rolando Rhymes is sure to have a few things to say about that on Thursday night.    From a recent history perspective, Desert Mountain did lose their only game of the season to Chavez and all three games to Pinnacle this year, however, each of these games were very close with the exception of the 28 point spanking that Pinnacle gave Desert Mountaiin on February 1st.

Out of the four teams remaining in the hunt for the much coveted state banner, Corona del Sol has only played two of them and beat both Desert Mountain by 8 points and Pinnacle by 4 points.   Although these games were close, Corona del Sol is still our favorite to be the last team standing when it is all said and done.  Afterall, Corona del Sol did win the championship last year and it is always a good bet to go with the team that has most recently been there and done that.

2013 AIA Division I Boys Basketball State February 19 Tournament Results

Desert Mountain 64

Mesa 51

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Gilbert 45

Pinnacle 50

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Mountain Ridge 52

Cesar Chavez 56

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Millennium 46

Corona del Sol 47

Arizona Division I Boys High School Basketball Quarter-Finals Scheduled Today | View the Teams, Times & Predicted Winners

The games are scheduled to take place at Wells Fargo Arena and the excitement is in the air since anything can happen at the playoffs.   Each team has proven to be capable of winning the Division I state banner making it very difficult to predict the winners of tonight's matchups.  

Division I State Banner Contenders

Wells Fargo Arena

2:30pm:  Desert Mountain Vs. Mesa

4:15pm:  Gilbert Vs. Pinnacle

6:00pm:  Mountain Ridge Vs. Cesar Chavez

7:15pm:  Millennium Vs. Corona del Sol

EXPECTED TO WIN

Mesa

Pinnacle

Cesar Chavez

Corona del Sol

Marcos de Niza's Teamwork Style Annihilates Ironwood by 28 points to Win 84 -56.

Marcos de Niza has been the epitome of "share the ball" basketball this season and the post-season has been no exception.   Last night Marcos de Niza defeated Ironwood by a whopping 28 points.   

It was a teamwork statement.

Marcos de Niza had 3 players scoring double figures with 2 other players with 8 points each; 21 team assists between 6 players and 14 steals from a total of 8 players.  They also had 41 rebounds spread out amongst 10 players. 

Our earlier article titled, "If you have not been doing so, keep your eyes on Marcos de Niza boys basketball," was written based on our view that Marcos de Niza is the most unselfish team in Division I.    Everyone knows their role and they share the ball.

With an 84 to 56 shellacking of Ironwood, the other teams left in the race for the state banner still need to keep their eyes on Marcos de Niza and their team ball style of play.  

OTHER SCORES:

Gilbert 66, Mesa 53

Dobson 63, Highland 54

Mountain Ridge 54, Mountain View 45

Cienega 60, Westview, 57

Sunnyside 73, Brophy Prep 69

 

Dobson's Richardson, Justice and Hopkins Play Together To Defeat Highland

Jaron Hopkins, Kodi Justice and Ryan Richardson

Dobson's Ryan Richardson scored 16 of of 18 points in the second half and Jaron Hopkins and Kodi Justice combined for 48 of the Mustangs 63 points.  

No. 13 Dobson (19-11) next faces No. 4 Mesa High on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Jackrabbit Gym in the round of 16. 

To read the AIA365.com article, click HERE.

Jordan Howard, Marco Morales, Jake Mortensen, James Sosinski and Maurice Kirby Named to the CTOWNRIVALS.COM 2012-13 ALL-CTR Boys Basketball 1st Team

CTOWNRIVALS.COM.  Basketball in Chandler has been said to play second fiddle to the excitement and attention brought on by football - but this year left C-Town round-ball fans with lots of budding rivalries and young talent to be excited about. There were also games that people will surely be talking about for years to come, such as the “purple shirt” game, the three point explosion, and who can forget one of our own defeating the #1 team in the state.  

All-CTR 1st Team

G- Jordan Howard, Jr. (Perry)
It’s impressive enough that Howard averaged over 25 points per game, but for a guard to shoot 57% from inside the arc over the course of a season is truly special.

G- Marco Morales, Jr. (Chandler)
Marco was an assassin from long range, and nearly hit 100 3-pointers this year. He was also second on the Wolves in total assists.

F- Jake Mortensen, Jr. (Perry)
Opposing teams game-planned to focus on Howard, and Mortensen continuously made those plans blow up in their faces. Second in scoring and rebounding for the Pumas, he was deadly beyond the arc, as Basha fans found out firsthand.

F/C- James Sosinksi, So. (Hamilton)
It’s hard to believe that Sosinski is just a sophomore- he has great basketball instincts and a feel for where the basket is at at all times. Sosinski was given a lot of responsibility at a young age for a successful team, and that should bode well for his development.

C- Maurice Kirby, Sr. (Basha)
You’ve heard the phrase “you can’t teach height,” but an equal truth is that you can’t teach work ethic. Kirby worked hard to earn a scholarship offer from Virginia Tech, and didn’t rest once he accepted the offer. Kirby was responsible for a a third of his team’s scoring, and nearly half it’s rebounds on the season.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE CTOWNRIVALS.CONM ARTICLE AND TO SEE THE FULL LIST

Mesquite Pulls Off A Last Second Bucket Against Chandler To Win, 62 - 60

The Mesquite tree is an extremely hardy tree that survives in the harshes of environments.  Eradicating Mesquite is difficult because the tree's roots can extend down deep below ground level.   

In Basketball, Mesquite high school lived up to the description of the Mesquite name, by weathering an all game long intense attack from the Chandler Wolves to withstand the assault by a score of 62 - 60.

The Wildcats pulled off a last second bucket in an inbound play under the Chandler basket.  Chandler was unable to secure the rebound in the closing seconds which gave Mesquite the opportunity to inbound the ball through a confused Chandler defense.  Chandler's defensive breakdown gave Mesquite's the basket that won the game with 0 seconds on the clock.

The game was an exciting one to watch as  both teams desperately adjusted to the other team's tactics in a game where the lead was shared by each team on multiple occasions.  

In the end, it was Mesquite's toughness that won the day living up to the name definition of Mesquite as being able to survive in the harshest of environments.

Chandler will meet up with Hamilton on Tuesday night at the Chandler Payne gym and Mesquite will faceoff at home on Wednesday night against Basha. 

Chandler now falls to 12-13 while Mesquite improves its record to 9-14.

Hamilton Takes Down Top Ranked Corona del Sol, 40-37

To read the CTOWNRIVALS.COM article, click here.