The No. 5-seeded Mountain Pointe Pride high school boys basketball team cruised to a 76-48 victory Friday night against the No. 13-seeded Chandler Wolves in the quarterfinals of the AIA 6A state tournament.
Mountain Pointe started the game hot, going on a 7-0 run and finished the first quarter with a 19-8 lead, using a full-court press and trapping when possible.
In a game where Chandler never held the lead, Mountain Pointe implemented a fast-paced offensive strategy, swinging the ball around the perimeter to find the best shot possible.
Chandler mounted a short-lived comeback, bringing the score to 25-17 with three minutes left in the second quarter after switching to a 1-3-1 zone and focusing on scoring in the paint on offense. After Mountain Pointe made adjustments, the Pride’s athleticism drove them to victory.
“They’re a scrappy, hardworking team and they got a couple of good ball handlers, so we needed to keep those guys out of the lane,” Eason said. “We talked about (it) all day -- not giving up the middle – forcing them to the baseline, so when we did that, we got control of (the game).”
Cash agreed with his coach and said he believes if Mountain Pointe keeps playing with the intensity they’ve displayed so far in the tournament, they have a shot at the state title.
“We have confidence in ourselves, we’ve had confidence in the way we’ve been playing lately.”
Cash said. “I feel like we’ve been the underdog all season, so we just have something to prove.”
Mountain Pointe will face No. 1-seeded Brophy College Prep in a 6A semifinal matchup at Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
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