Safe to say that Big Park Community School wasn’t expecting to lose to Mountain View Preparatory Academy.
But after the first full off-season in boys basketball program history, head coach Troy Hoke stepped up expectations, and the team delivered Tuesday, Nov. 17, with a 30-16 road win in which seven of Hoke’s eight players filled the scorebook.
It was a sharp reversal of the Ocelots’ 35-10 loss at Beaver Creek School in their opener Thursday, Nov. 12.
“Little older, but still learning, still growing,” Hoke said. “Right now, my biggest thing is still their confidence.
“Beaver Creek’s a team I had pegged running for the championship.”
Four of Hoke’s five starters return from a two-win A team last season, including Andrew Petersen, Elian Ruiz, Dalton Zingali and his son, Trevor.
“I still need to teach them the keys of defense,” Hoke said. “They get to stand out a little bit more on their own — they just need to find that identity.
“All these games are just warm-ups leading up to the tournament, where everybody’s 0-0.”
The Verde Valley League tournament was also where the Ocelots won their first game en route to an unexpected fifth place — something Hoke reminds his team can happen again.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Nov. 18, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
