Photo: 1 Uriah Tenette pulls up for a shot over 1 Angel Guerrero
The Prescott Badgers used a smothering defense to hold the Flagstaff Eagles to just three second half points, in a 79-34 beat down in the Badger Dome. In one of the quickest high school basketball games, lasting roughly 70 minutes, Prescott remained tied for the Grand Canyon Region top spot with Bradshaw Mountain, who had to work hard to beat Coconino 54-50 in Prescott Valley.
Uriah Tenette led the Badgers with 24 points, and Zane Gaul added 18, including eight rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Gaul said, “We really got after it in the second half. Our defense set the tone in getting all those turnovers and running the court to get some quick baskets.”
The game started off with Prescott taking a 7-3 lead, but after Ben Janecek sank a pair of threes the game was tied at nine. Tenette began attacking the glass, with what would be one of his ten baskets to give the home squad an 11-9 lead. Gaul increasing the lead to 17-13.
Photo: 10 Zane Gaul shoots over 24 Richard Garcia
The Eagles battled back again to take an 18-17 lead on a basket by Richard Garcia. Prescott quickly responded to go up by two at the end of the first quarter. After a game tying free throw by Gaul, Tenette drilled another basket for a 20-18 lead and his 11th point of the quarter. A slam dunk by Gaul got the student section involved and boosted the lead to 22-18, but a last second basket by Janecek made the score 22-20 after one.
Prescott got production from six different players in the second quarter. Andrew Lyon with four points, and Micah Buettner with two points, helped increase the lead to 30-22, while giving some starters a little break. Jake Hilton, who had a relatively quiet night on offense with six points, drove to the basket for a 34-23 lead. The teams exchanged baskets down the stretch of the second quarter, with the Badgers holding a 41-31 lead at the half.
Photo: The Prescott bench celebrates as the Badgers opened up a big lead two minutes into the second half
The second half was a defensive clinic by the Badgers, as they forced the Eagles into six straight turnovers, while boosting the lead to 55-31 in less than two minutes of play. All five starters put the full court press into a masterful display, then scoring bucket after bucket, as the Eagles had enormous trouble just getting the ball past half court.
Janecek would nail his fourth three-point shot, in what would be Flagstaff’s final basket with 5:11 left in the third quarter. Prescott would go on a 24-0 run to end the game, and a 38-3 run for the entire second half.
Badger coach Travis Stedman said, “We were up by ten at the half and told our team to turn up the pressure in the second half, and they did.”
The bench once again was able to get some solid playing time. Ben Dutson, Pippy Brown, Levi Van Dyke, Danian Bernardo, Ryan Smith, along with Buettner and Lyon, all saw minutes throughout the game, with eleven of the twelve players scoring.
Lyon, who scored seven, including a three pointer, said, “I just go out there and try to take advantage of every time I am on the court. I love playing with these guys, and just try to get better in every game.” When asked about holding Flagstaff to just three second half points, Lyon added, “That is just who we are. We work hard and know what we are capable of, and we put it all together in that second half.”
Prescott (10-1) in the GCR, and (18-2) overall, moved up in the rankings this week to #5. The Badgers will visit Mingus in Cottonwood tonight, before coming back home for senior night to face Coronado on Thursday. Game time is at 7pm.
PRESCOTT BADGERS 79, FLAGSTAFF EAGLES 34
FLAGSTAFF (34)-Guerrero 1 0-0 3, O’brien-Piubeni 0 0-0 0, Centner 4 0-0 8, Janecek 5 2-2 16, Garcia 3 0-0 7, Begay 0 0-0 0, Laughing 0 0-0 0, Biah 0 0-0 0, Gishie 0 0-0 0, Hewes 0 0-0 0, Key 0 0-0 0. 13 2-2 34.
PRESCOTT (79)-Magnett 2 1-1 5, Tenette 10 4-4 24, Bassett 1 0-0 2, Hilton 3 0-0 6, Gaul 8 1-2 18, Buettner 2 0-0 4, Lyon 3 0-0 7, Bernardo 2 0-0 4, Smith 0 0-0 0, Brown 3 0-0 6, Dutson 1 0-0 2, VanDyke 0 1-2 1. 35 7-9 79.
Score by Quarters- 1 2 3 4 – T
Flagstaff 20 11 3 0 – 34
Prescott 22 19 27 11 – 79
Total Fouls-F8 , P 9
Fouled Out-None
Three Pointers-F(6)-Janecek 4, Guerrero 1, Garcia 1. P(2)-Lyon 1, Gaul 1
GRAND CANYON REGION STANDINGS
School- W-L W-L
PRESCOTT 10-1 18-2
Bradshaw Mountain 10-1 21-3
Coconino 6-4 12-12
Mingus 5-6 11-13
Mohave 4-8 8-14
Lee Williams 1-8 11-12
Flagstaff 1-9 4-20
Scoreboard
PRESCOTT 79, Flagstaff 34
Bradshaw Mountain 54, Coconino 50
Mohave 49, Lee Williams 34
Cactus 80, Agua Fria 70
Dysart 73, Coronado 49
Thunderbird 71, Yuma 54
Peoria 64, Estrella Foothills 56
St. Mary’s 85, Seton Catholic Prep 50
Mayer 54, Bagdad 39
Deer Valley 73, Barry Goldwater 23
Joseph City 56, Williams 50
4A BOYS BASKETBALL AIA RANKINGS (W-L)
#1 ALA-Gilbert North 24-1
#2 Peoria 21-3
#3 Bradshaw Mountain 21-3
#4 St. Mary’s 11-12
#5 PRESCOTT 18-2
#6 Cactus 19-4
#7 Mesquite 17-7
#8 Sahuaro 18-4
#9 Deer Valley 17-6
#10 Dysart 18-6
Varsity Girls Basketball
The Lady Badgers lost 72-32 to the Flagstaff Eagles up north. The Eagles, ranked #4 in the AIA Division 4A rankings, led from start to finish, having won 11 straight.
Prescott (2-9) in the GCR, and (7-15) overall, will host Mingus tonight in the Badger Dome, as Lady Badgers play their final game of the season. Tipoff is at 5:30 pm.
GRAND CANYON REGION STANDINGS
School- W-L W-L
Flagstaff 10-0 16-5
Coconino 8-3 13-9
Lee Williams 7-3 21-5
Bradshaw Mountain 7-4 15-13
Mingus 4-7 14-11
PRESCOTT 2-9 7-15
Mohave 0-12 4-19
Scoreboard
Flagstaff 72, PRESCOTT 32
Bradshaw Mountain 40, Coconino 34
Lee Williams 51, Mohave 11
Bagdad 48, Mayer 36
Varsity Girls Soccer
The Badgers dropped a 2-1 contest to the Flagstaff Eagles at Mingus High School. The game was moved from Flagstaff due to weather conditions further north.
Prescott falls to (2-2) in the Grand Canyon Region after their second straight 2-1 setback. Prescott lost at home to Lee Williams by the same score last Thursday. The Badgers will host Mingus on Thursday at 5 pm.
GRAND CANYON REGION STANDINGS
School- W-L W-L
Lee Williams 3-0 9-0
Mohave 3-0 9-0
Flagstaff 3-1 9-1
PRESCOTT 2-2 7-2
Coconino 1-2 5-3
Bradshaw Mountain 0-3 2-8
Mingus 0-4 2-7
Scoreboard
Flagstaff 2, PRESCOTT 1
Coconino at Bradshaw Mountain
Mohave at Lee Williams
4A GIRLS SOCCER AIA RANKINGS (W-L-T)
#1 Walden Grove 10-0-0
#2 Lee Williams 9-0-0
#3 Salpointe Catholic 8-1-1
#4 Sahuarita 10-1-0
#5 Flagstaff 8-1-0
#6 PRESCOTT 7-2-0
#7 Mohave 9-0-0
#8 Seton Catholic Prep 8-3-0
#9 Canyon Del Oro 8-4-0
#10 AZ College Prep 7-1-1