Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: Clark Ashby (0) defends against Dawson Judd. Pima defeated Benson in regional play on Wednesday, 59-48.
Pima to battle Morenci on Thursday for top spot in 2A East
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – The Pima Roughriders (5-0 region, 5-1 conference, 10-6 overall) clamped down defensively in the third quarter to limit the visiting Benson Bobcats (2-3 region, 3-4 conference, 7-12 overall) to just 6 points in the period. Pima utilized the scoring discrepancy to give some breathing room on its way to a 59-48 victory Wednesday night.
Pima head boys basketball coach Cliff Thompson praised Benson’s team for its competitiveness.
“They’re an athletic team,” said Thompson. “They have some good athletes. They play hard. They got some good basketball players on their team.”
Conversely, Benson head boys basketball coach Alex Montijo said playing a Pima team, especially in Pima, is challenging.
“It’s always tough to come and play Pima in the Gila Valley,” Montijo said. “They’re still a good team . . . A couple of turnovers, maybe a little closer, who knows? Probably more stats and more excitement for the crowd. We’re just trying to play as hard as we can and who we can the best we can.”
Benson tied the game up twice in the second quarter (17-17) and (20-20), but Pima led 35-30 at the half.
Then the defensive third quarter increased their lead as the Roughriders continued to score in double digits (13) for the quarter while limiting the Bobcats to just 6 points. Sam Ray and Clark Ashby played big in the quarter, banging down low on both offense and defense in helping Pima get a double-digit lead, 48-36, at the end of the third.
Thompson acknowledged some difficulty against Benson’s 2-3 zone defense. But long balls by Keegan Corona (four 3’s) and Riley Alder (three 3’s) helped open up the interior and were a zone-buster.
“That zone took us a while to figure out but I think we started to get some movement and then got some good shots,” Thompson said. “We even got some inside shots eventually against that zone, so I was happy as the game progressed in the way we kind of figured things out.”
Pima then held on through the final quarter of play, spreading the ball around to finish 59-48.
Keegan Corona led the way for Pima both directing the ball as the point guard and scoring, hitting 23 points on the night off four regular field goals, four 3-pointers, and 3 free throws.
“Keegan played well, and I feel like he took better care of the ball tonight than he has in a while,” Thompson said. “I was really happy with that. I thought Riley shot the ball well. He hit some 3’s tonight, which we haven’t had that in a while from him.”
Sam Ray and Riley Alder had 10 points each, and Clark Ashby had 9 in their balanced attack. Preston Russell also pitched in 5 points and Joel Mattice had 2.
Dalton Crockett led Benson with 20 points off five 3-pointers, two field goals, and one free throw. Crockett was held to just 6 second-half points.
Keelyn Payne had 11 points for the Bobcats but his presence was felt more on the defense as he roamed the paint, altering shot after shot.
“Our bigs are trying to figure out how to deal with guys like that when we’re trying to score inside,” Thompson said. “We’re coaching them up and I think we’re getting better, little by little. (The) main thing is we’re trying to build toward the playoffs and peak at the right time.”
Benson’s scoring was rounded out with Ruben Navarro with 7 points, and Domonik Villa and Dawson Judd both had 5 points each.
Pima currently sits behind the Morenci Wildcats in the 2A East Region. The teams are set to meet Thursday, Jan. 11, starting at 7 p.m. in Pima.
