By Jon Johnson
PIMA – New year, new court, same old dominant Pima Roughriders. The Roughriders kicked off 2026 with a commanding 64-34 win over the visiting Round Valley Elks on Tuesday night in Pima, showcasing suffocating defense and balanced scoring that overwhelmed the visitors from the opening tip.
Defense was the name of the game, and Pima only allowed 4 points off two field goals the entire first quarter and only 7 points in both the third and fourth quarters.
“We’ve been focusing on that (defense) in practice the last three or four practices that we’ve had,” Pima head boys basketball coach Cliff Thompson said. “Really focusing on having our energy up on defense, and it was really nice in the first quarter . . . We gave up seven and seven in the last two quarters. We kind of have a goal of we want to hold teams to single digits every quarter, and we did that three of the four quarters tonight . . . I was really happy overall, and it was a whole team effort.”
Senior guard Keegan Corona led the charge for Pima with a game-high 22 points, including three 3-pointers and strong work in the post and on drives. His performance set the tone early and kept the Roughriders in control throughout.
Defense defined the first quarter, as Pima’s guards Corona and Tanner Smith flashed their scoring touch with accurate runners. Round Valley managed just two field goals, one coming when Brennan Brown caught the Roughriders napping on a long half-court assist. Corona responded forcefully, draining two of his three 3-pointers in the period.
The Roughriders repeatedly turned defense into offense. Stratton McRae grabbed a rebound and outlet to Smith, who needed just two dribbles to hit Joel Mattice in stride for a layup. Moments later, Corona stole the ball and dished ahead to McRae for an easy finish, pushing Pima to a 16-2 lead.
Kaumarie Govan provided Round Valley’s other first-quarter bucket with a nice move in the lane, but Isaac Thompson answered with a mid-range jumper. Smith added a buzzer-beater to close the quarter, giving Pima a commanding 20-4 advantage.
The second quarter belonged to Round Valley’s Brennan Brown, who dominated the paint with physical play, and -1 opportunities, and consistent scoring to keep the Elks in the game. Brown finished with a team-high 14 points.
Pima countered effectively. Corona displayed post moves, Smith sliced down the sideline for a crafty finish, and Charlie Richardson contributed a rebound putback. A steal by Mattice nearly turned into a dunk, but after corralling the miss, Corona buried a 3-pointer. Smith’s spinning jumper sent Pima into halftime up 34-20.
The Roughriders opened the third on a 7-0 run, with McRae finding Mattice on a cut and Richardson driving for a score and putback. Brown tried to rally the Elks with a jumper and drive, but Pima’s defense proved overwhelming, sparking transition buckets.
Smith fed Corona for a fast-break layup, McRae stole and scored coast-to-coast, and he later converted an alley-oop from Smith while drawing a foul—completing the and-1. McRae had a strong quarter, adding points inside for 10 total on the night. Nash Bodily’s steal led to another Corona finish, ballooning the lead to 58-27 after three and triggering a running clock in the fourth.
Corona added one more score early in the final period before the benches were cleared. Round Valley’s Mason Turley made the most of his minutes with a drive and a 3-pointer. For Pima, Gilbert Bryce impressed off the bench, cleaning up in the paint for six points. Bryce’s final bucket in the lane sealed the 64-34 victory.
Tanner Smith supported Corona with 13 points, while McRae added 10. Bryce and Richardson each scored six, Mattice five, and Thompson two.
For Round Valley, Brown led with 14 points, followed by Marcus Mortensen with six. Kage Finch and Geron Baylish added five each, with Turley and Ryan Rodriguez contributing two apiece.
While Pima nearly outscored the Elks by a double-digit margin, coach Thompson said there is room for improvement on defense if they want to go far in the state tournament.
“If we’re going to make a run later in the season, we gotta get better defensively,” Thompson said. “We gotta be more consistent. We gotta bring the energy up all the time.”
Pima (3-0 conference, 15-2 overall) will next travel up The Hill to face the Morenci Wildcats on Thursday, Jan. 8, and will host the Chandler Prep Titans on Friday, Jan. 9, both games start at 7 p.m.
