Yuma, Kofa split ways for state tournament
The Gila Valley and Northwest Regions spent the first few games of the 2008-09 season paired up against each other in boys basketball.
And now the cream of both league's crops find themselves on the same bracket lines in the opening round of the 5A-II State Tournament tonight.
No. 8 seed Yuma will host No. 9 Surprise-Willow Canyon tonight at the Palace on Prison Hill at 7 p.m. while No. 13 Kofa travels to No. 4 Anthem-Boulder Creek.
"I'm anticipating a fast-paced game and I think it'll be really enjoyable for anyone who comes out to watch," Yuma coach Louie Pisano said. "Very seldom do we get a home game in Yuma for state, so hopefully we can get a pretty good crowd and have a great home-court advantage."
The stakes have never been higher for this group of Criminals, a team entirely composed of seniors making their first trip to state. But Pisano said he doesn't expect the team's character to change under the win-or-go-home circumstances.
"The great thing about these guys is their unselfishness, and it's the same way they've played since they were freshmen," he said. "It's been so fun to coach these guys because they don't care who scores as long as we accomplish our goal. I never had to stress that part of our game to them, it's just who they are."
Hitting the road for the 5A-II tournament is an arena Kofa thrived under a year ago, winning both its state games last year on its opponents' home floor. Gila Valley Region Co-Player of the Year Kevin Folsom was a starting guard during the Kings' semifinal run and will play a big role in tonight's outcome.
"I'm counting on Kevin's leadership to lead us back to the final four," Montiali said. "We've emphasized that if we take care of the ball that will give us a chance to win the game. We haven't been doing that so well lately, but we believe in ourselves."
Kofa (11-7 AIA) lost to Boulder Creek (14-4) 72-56 when the two teams met in the Jaguars' season opener in December. Boulder Creek packs the paint with 6-foot-7 senior Robert Wozniczka and 6-5 forward Alex Dykuizen, who each average close to 15 points and nine rebounds per game. The Jaguars' leading scorer is guard Ryan Crane at 19 points per game.
"They tend to pound it inside to their bigs, but Kaylun Owl and Anthony Avalos and Alex Caceras are excited for the challenge," Montiali said. "We have a game plan for them, and they executed it well in practice today."
Willow Canyon (12-6 AIA) won its first two games this year against San Luis and Cibola, and both the Wildcats and Criminals (14-5 AIA) had similar results against Northwest Region members Goldwater and Kingman.
"I talked to (Cibola coach) Tim (Keller) and he gave me some good insight on their team, but that game was early in the year," Pisano said. "From the info I got it'll kind of be like looking at a mirror image because they're not too tall, pretty quick and like to push ball down the floor."
The two teams' point production methods however, are a different story. Yuma starters Ricardo Quintero, Steven Rojano, Carlos Wallett, and Mitchell Harmon all average at least 10 point per game, while Willow Canyon relies on 6-foot-4 senior C.J. Crockom's 21 points and six rebounds most nights.
"He does about a third of their scoring, so we'll put some demand on defending him," Pisano said of Crockom. "But sometimes if you get wrapped up on one individual somebody else can beat you."
The Northwest Region did not hold a region tournament, so Boulder Creek and Willow Canyon have had more than a week off after wining their last five games of the season.
