San Carlos wins first state boys basketball crown
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero San Carlos Brave Al Case, white jersey, is fouled by Bisbee Puma forward Obed Cordova (50) Saturday during the Arizona Division V boys state championship game at the Prescott Valley Events Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz.
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
San Carlos Brave Al Case, white jersey, is fouled by Bisbee Puma forward Obed Cordova (50) Saturday during the Arizona Division V boys state championship game at the Prescott Valley Events Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz.
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz.
It took four extra minutes but the San Carlos Braves can now call themselves state champions.
The No. 3 seed Braves survived a slugfest with No. 4 Bisbee and came out on top with a thrilling 57-53 overtime victory on Saturday for the Arizona Division V boys state crown.
San Carlos coach Terry Antonio said they had all the right pieces to win its first state crown but in the game’s defining moment it was about ‘playing composed’.”
“We knew we had the players to do it with and we can talk about the Xs and Os,” he said “but this was more about effort, determination and playing composed.”
The Braves shined in those areas especially after losing sophomore guard Al Case to fouls with 2:19 left in regulation with his team leading, 46-42.
“It was real hard to sit there and watch,” said Case, who finished with 18 points. “But I believed in my teammates and I just told them what to do during the timeouts.”
It turned out that slim four-point lead was never safe as Bisbee Puma guard Miguel Galvez rebounded his own miss and hit a big-time three to get within a point with just over two minutes left.
The Pumas tied the game at 47-all and with 14 seconds left they inched ahead with a 51-50 lead on a basket by Spencer Schueller that prompted Antonio to burn a timeout.
After the brief stoppage, Bisbee stole the ball and they had a chance to go up by three points but they blew a wide-open layup. From that point on the Braves went into survival mode as junior forward John Cutter Jr., grabbed an offensive board and was fouled with 0:05 left on the clock.
Cutter missed his first free throw attempt but he sent the game into overtime by nailing his second.
With a stall tactic in place, San Carlos milked nearly three minutes off the clock before senior forward Wilbur Benally III gave the Braves a 53-51 edge with just over a minute left. Cutter later added two free throws for a four-point cushion after Bisbee missed a three-point attempt.
The Pumas had a shot to tie things up with 15 seconds left but they missed a crucial 1-and-1 opportunity after Schueller got them within 55-51. Cutter than iced the game with two free throws as he finished the game with a team-best 21 points.
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