The Camp Verde High School boys basketball claimed its second straight victory at home Friday, Dec. 16, defeating the visiting Spartans of Northland Preparatory Academy, 60-45.
“I was actually impressed with our second group of guys coming off the bench,” longtime Camp Verde Head Coach Darren Gagnon said. “Our team as a whole did a good job on offense. They moved the ball from side to side and looked for good shots. And the boys shot the ball well when they were open.”
Camp Verde shot 50 percent from the field Friday and was 7 of 17 from behind the arc to gain the advantage over a Spartans club that is known for its dead-eye shooting from the three-point line.
Senior Brian Hudson was outstanding, leading the Cowboys with 12 points, nine of which came from the three-point line. Hudson had three assists and one steal in the 60-45 win.
The Cowboys were up 11-10 at one point in the first quarter, and eventually took a 17-10 at the end of the period, leading Gagnon to believe Northland Preparatory was in town to get a win.
“They are a scrappy bunch. At one point it was 11-10 during a timeout and I could see then why they can give anyone fits,” Gagnon said.
The Spartans outscored Camp Verde 18-15 in the second quarter to cut the Cowboys’ lead to four at halftime, 32-28. Camp Verde came out hot in the third quarter, however, outscoring the Spartans 14-7 to take a 46-35 lead. From then on, Camp Verde outscored Northland Preparatory 14-10 in the fourth to go on and win, 60-45.
“The game was not great all around,” senior center Jake Spleiss said. “Not everyone put up big numbers but everyone put up numbers. We executed greatly in the second half, and our shots were falling.”
Spleiss had only four points but pulled 11 rebounds in the win. Other standouts included sophomore Marlon Onteveros who had 10 points, four rebounds, one steal and one assist while senior Johnny Hudson had 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
“I think when we came out, we played at their level and we should have started out playing at our level,” Hudson said.
With the victory, Camp Verde improves to 6-4 overall this season and 4-1 in Arizona Interscholastic Association power point play.
The Cowboys are ranked No. 31 in the AIA power point standings, which were released Monday, Dec. 19.
Camp Verde was in action once again Tuesday, Dec. 20, when it played host to Coconino High School. Results were unavailable at press time.
Next up, Camp Verde is scheduled to participate in the Bradshaw Mountain Invitational tournament over Christmas break.
The tournament at Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley is scheduled to begin Monday, Dec. 26, and run through Wednesday, Dec. 28.
The Cowboys are paired with Rincon High School to begin the tournament Monday. Tipoff for the game has yet to be announced.
Camp Verde will return home Friday, Jan. 6, when it hosts the Badgers of Prescott High School. Tipoff against the Badgers is set for 7 p.m.
