The Benedictine Mesa Men's Basketball Team faced a challenging game against Arizona Christian, ultimately falling 100-60 at home on Thursday night.
First Half:Â Arizona Christian came out strong, setting the tone with aggressive defense and quick scoring. Jalik Dunkley opened the game with a steal and layup, quickly followed by a three-pointer from Dunkley off an assist from Tyler Silva, giving the Firestorm a 5-0 lead. Arizona Christian maintained pressure, with Anthony Howell and Silva disrupting our early possessions, resulting in a fast-break jumper from Ese Onakpoma to extend their lead to 7-0.
Benedictine Mesa responded as
Deven Franks connected on a three-pointer from
Tanner Crawford, narrowing the gap to 7-3. Arizona Christian quickly answered, but Crawford drew a foul and sank two free throws, bringing the score to 9-5. Dunkley scored again, though he missed his free throw attempt on the and-one. Moments later,
Damian Zivak came off the bench and made an immediate impact, hitting a three-pointer to bring the score to 11-8.
The action remained intense as Howell scored for Arizona Christian, but Zivak answered with a mid-range jumper. Onakpoma's three-pointer extended their lead to 16-8, yet Benedictine showed resilience. Elniel and Payton hit back-to-back jumpers, pulling us within two at 16-14. Our defense tightened, forcing turnovers and missed shots from Arizona Christian, leading Elniel to complete a layup that tied the game at 16-16. After a timeout, Payton capitalized on a steal, giving us our first lead at 18-16.
The first half continued with both teams exchanging baskets in a physical contest. As the halftime buzzer sounded, Arizona Christian led 42-34, setting the stage for a competitive second half.
Second Half:Â Arizona Christian came out strong again, extending their lead with a free throw from Howell and a layup from Dunkley, pushing their advantage to 11. Benedictine Mesa struggled offensively, missing several layups while Arizona Christian hit a three-pointer by Dominic Gonzalez to increase the lead to 15.
Benedictine Mesa showed flashes of resilience with
Tanner Crawford delivering a powerful dunk, assisted by
Malakai Harris, cutting the deficit to 13. However, Arizona Christian responded with a layup from Howell and a three-pointer from Silva, maintaining their strong double-digit lead. Harris answered back with an emphatic dunk, but Arizona Christian's perimeter shooting kept them in control.
Midway through the half, the Firestorm extended their lead to 19 with a three-pointer from Lorenzo Wright. Benedictine attempted to stay competitive with a jumper from Franks and a three-pointer from Zivak, but Dunkley countered with a deep three and a transition dunk, giving Arizona Christian a commanding 20-point lead.
As the game wound down, Arizona Christian continued to dictate the pace, forcing turnovers and converting on second-chance opportunities. Despite our efforts, including a late three-pointer from Zivak, Arizona Christian maintained their lead. The game concluded with a final score of 100-60.
Key Players:
This game marks the conclusion of the Redhawks' season. We are incredibly proud of our athletes for their dedication and hard work both on and off the court. We look forward to seeing what they accomplish next season.
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