- Sunnyside held off Rio Rico's second half surge to win 64-60 in an up-and-down paced game. After the first quarter, Sunnyside led 20-13 due in large part to the offensive production coming from senior big man Santino Duarte. Duarte was 4-of-5 for eight points at the end of the quarter, as he showed great touch from 12-15 feet. The Blue Devils possessed a 36-30 at halftime, and clung to a 49-46 lead after three quarters of play. Coming into the game, Sunnyside was ranked No. 18 in 6A and Rio Rico was No. 6 in 4A.
- Sunnyside (15-10) played a 2-3 zone with some pressing for the entire game, which, on paper doesn't seem like a great idea considering Rio Rico can flat out shoot the ball. The biggest factor in the game was the length and size of Duarte and junior Nikc Jackson as they affected shots, blocked several more and altered the way Rio Rico attacked the basket. The Hawks swing the ball on offense until they find an open catch-and-shoot perimeter player or then attack the gaps in the defense and head towards the rim. Rio Rico (17-4) just wasn't able to consistently convert on attempts near the basket. It was telling as the Hawks finished just 3-of-4 at the charity stripe.
- Duarte finished with a team-high 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as he showed glimpses of the player he was before his ACL injury. Duarte was strong inside as a defender and rebounder, and hit several jumpers from 15 feet with Rio Rico defenders daring him to shoot all night. Duarte finished 9-of-10 shooting, but his first shot attempt was blocked. So, after that attempt, Duarte rolled off 9-of-9 from the field. Duarte still needs a bit to go to get into playing shape, to where he can move laterally with some confidence.
- Jackson, who held a workout for Princeton over the weekend, finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for yet another double-double, his 16th of the season. Jackson was hot in the second half, throwing down a few dunks and hitting 6-of-9 shots. His bugaboo appears to be free-throw shooting, which seems normal for a big of his size, converting 3-of-10 from the free-throw line.
- Sunnyside coach Jimmy Rosthenhausler decided to start Mikey Silva this game. Silva chipped in 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting. Silva's role and play have changed plenty in the last four games. Silva is not the main priority of this team anymore on offense, as the Blue Devils have opted to play through its bigs instead.
- Rio Rico's Martin Ochoa dropped a game-high 20 points in the loss, but was almost unguardable in the second half of the game. Ochoa started cold in the first half, shooting 3-of-9 from the field, but erupted to begin the third quarter with three straight catch-and-shoot treys. Ochoa notched 10 points in the third quarter. Ochoa knocked down another triple in the fourth frame, for a total of five three-pointers.
- Rio Rico is still a top-8 team in 4A, but its worth noting they struggled against a team like Sunnyside because of its size, though, I'm not sure many 4A squads will have the same size as 6A's Sunnyside. They'll need to attack the basket and draw more fouls moving forward. Luis Quezada, one of the team's main playmakers with the ball in his hands, was in foul trouble all night. He picked up his third foul right before the end of the first half, then was called for his fourth foul early in the third quarter. Finally, Quezada fouled out with plenty of time remaining in the fourth quarter, which meant one less ball handler on the court for Rio Rico, who plays at most times with five players on the court who can handle the ball. Obviously, Quezada fouling out had an effect on the game, as he's a solid all-around player.
- 6A's Southern Arizona teams are in an interesting predicament. Sunnyside is 1-2 in region play (against Rincon/University and Tucson High), Rincon is 1-1 (Last two games of season against Sunnyside and Tucson High) and Tucson High who is 2-1 in region play with one game remaining against Rincon. All three teams are in position to be playing in the playoffs as Sunnyside is ranked 16, Tucson High is No. 26 and Rincon is No. 29. These last few games will determine who may receive an automatic bid, who will be on the bubble and who will be left out.
- Sunnyside (15-10) played a 2-3 zone with some pressing for the entire game, which, on paper doesn't seem like a great idea considering Rio Rico can flat out shoot the ball. The biggest factor in the game was the length and size of Duarte and junior Nikc Jackson as they affected shots, blocked several more and altered the way Rio Rico attacked the basket. The Hawks swing the ball on offense until they find an open catch-and-shoot perimeter player or then attack the gaps in the defense and head towards the rim. Rio Rico (17-4) just wasn't able to consistently convert on attempts near the basket. It was telling as the Hawks finished just 3-of-4 at the charity stripe.
- Duarte finished with a team-high 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as he showed glimpses of the player he was before his ACL injury. Duarte was strong inside as a defender and rebounder, and hit several jumpers from 15 feet with Rio Rico defenders daring him to shoot all night. Duarte finished 9-of-10 shooting, but his first shot attempt was blocked. So, after that attempt, Duarte rolled off 9-of-9 from the field. Duarte still needs a bit to go to get into playing shape, to where he can move laterally with some confidence.
- Jackson, who held a workout for Princeton over the weekend, finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for yet another double-double, his 16th of the season. Jackson was hot in the second half, throwing down a few dunks and hitting 6-of-9 shots. His bugaboo appears to be free-throw shooting, which seems normal for a big of his size, converting 3-of-10 from the free-throw line.
- Sunnyside coach Jimmy Rosthenhausler decided to start Mikey Silva this game. Silva chipped in 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting. Silva's role and play have changed plenty in the last four games. Silva is not the main priority of this team anymore on offense, as the Blue Devils have opted to play through its bigs instead.
- Rio Rico's Martin Ochoa dropped a game-high 20 points in the loss, but was almost unguardable in the second half of the game. Ochoa started cold in the first half, shooting 3-of-9 from the field, but erupted to begin the third quarter with three straight catch-and-shoot treys. Ochoa notched 10 points in the third quarter. Ochoa knocked down another triple in the fourth frame, for a total of five three-pointers.
- Rio Rico is still a top-8 team in 4A, but its worth noting they struggled against a team like Sunnyside because of its size, though, I'm not sure many 4A squads will have the same size as 6A's Sunnyside. They'll need to attack the basket and draw more fouls moving forward. Luis Quezada, one of the team's main playmakers with the ball in his hands, was in foul trouble all night. He picked up his third foul right before the end of the first half, then was called for his fourth foul early in the third quarter. Finally, Quezada fouled out with plenty of time remaining in the fourth quarter, which meant one less ball handler on the court for Rio Rico, who plays at most times with five players on the court who can handle the ball. Obviously, Quezada fouling out had an effect on the game, as he's a solid all-around player.
- 6A's Southern Arizona teams are in an interesting predicament. Sunnyside is 1-2 in region play (against Rincon/University and Tucson High), Rincon is 1-1 (Last two games of season against Sunnyside and Tucson High) and Tucson High who is 2-1 in region play with one game remaining against Rincon. All three teams are in position to be playing in the playoffs as Sunnyside is ranked 16, Tucson High is No. 26 and Rincon is No. 29. These last few games will determine who may receive an automatic bid, who will be on the bubble and who will be left out.
