Next will head to Phoenix to take on No. 2 Arizona Lutheran
By Jon Johnson
MORENCI – With their season on the line, holding a tenuous 3-point lead as time began to dwindle in the fourth, Morenci’s Aymen Abdulqader hit back-to-back 3-pointers to seal the Wildcats’ home playoff opener victory over the visiting Horizon Honors Eagles, 58-42.
“I’m just proud of the kids,” said Morenci head coach Ruben Leonard. “They worked their butt off all year long, and it showed. (If) we stay consistent with what we do, we stay true to each other, and this is the outcome.”
With the victory, the Wildcats move on to the quarterfinals. They will travel to Phoenix on Saturday, Feb. 22, to face the No. 2 Arizona Lutheran Academy Coyotes at their house at 6036 S. 27th Ave. The game time is set at 6 p.m.
Morenci 58 Horizon Honors 42
The No. 7 Morenci Wildcats (9-0 region, 15-1 conference, 24-3 overall) used a lock-down defense to limit the visiting Horizon Honors Eagles to just one field goal in the fourth to outscore them 19-4 in the deciding period.
Morenci started well and built up a 17-9 first-period lead behind solid play from senior Noah Chavez (who had all 7 of his points in the first period) and a combined team effort.
The Eagles came back in the second by hitting the long ball and making the most of some turnovers. Max Gerelick (9 points) was a thorn in the Wildcats’ paw in the quarter, along with Calvin McCrory (10 points), who hit his second trey of the game.
Morenci kept a slight lead through the second half behind solid frontcourt play by Yedidia Laputa (14 points) and outside help from Christopher Lopez (9 points).
But with less than a second on the clock, Sean Segal found Richie Hewitt sprinting open in the paint from mid-court, and the shot went up and in to make it Morenci 27 Horizon Honors 26 at the halftime break.
The Eagles came out in the third quarter with a set back-pick play, and McCrory found Hewitt open under the bucket to give the Eagles their only lead of the night, 27-28.
Aymen Abdulqader took offense and went on a scoring spree that saw him hit 10 of the Wildcats’ points in the quarter. Abdulqader scored 7 points in a row at one point while the Wildcats held the Eagles from scoring.
But Segal (10 points) hit for 6 in the quarter to help bring the Eagles back, including a shot off a pick and roll just before the buzzer to cut Morenci’s lead back to one, 39-38.
The teams continued to battle back and forth early in the final period of play as Laputa hit down low and Gerelick answered for Horizon Honors.
But then it was Aymen’s time. Abdulqader got the defender he wanted from the pick-and-roll, rose, and sunk the trey over Segal.
Then, after a steal by Chavez, Horizon goes into a zone defense, and Laputa sends it back out to Abdulqader, who nails his fourth triple of the game to give Morenci a 10-point lead with just over 2 minutes left to play.
Another steal by Chavez led to a fast-break opportunity and a rebound putback by Lopez, and the Wildcats cruised to victory, 58-42.
“It’s not always going to be pretty at times,” Leonard said. “But we stay true to what we do and this is the outcome . . . Hopefully, we just keep riding that wave.”
In other local prep state playoff basketball:
The No. 5 Pima Boys defeated No. 12 Phoenix Christian 64-48 in the opening round. Pima will travel on Saturday to face No. 4 Rancho Solano Prep at their school in Scottsdale at 9180 E. Via de Ventura. Game time is set at 6 p.m.
The No. 6 Pima Girls defeated No. 11 Horizon Honors 58-26 in the opening round. Pima will travel on Friday, Feb. 21, to take on Fountain Hills at their home in Fountain Hills at 16100 E. Palisades Blvd. Game time is set at 7 p.m.
In 1A, No. 2 Fort Thomas Boys are set to take on No. 7 Cicero Prep at Shadow Ridge High School on Friday, Feb. 21, in Surprise at 10909 N. Perryville Rd. Game time is set at 7 p.m.
The No. 2 Fort Thomas Girls’ basketball team defeated No. 7 Baboquivari 77-39 and will face No. 3 Mogollon in the semifinals at Millennium High School on Saturday, Feb. 22, starting at 2 p.m. in Goodyear at 14802 W. Wigwam Blvd.
