Camp Verde High School basketball is busy during the month of June preparing for its regular season that is nearly half a year away.
The Cowboys most recently played a scrimmage at Mingus Union High School on Wednesday, June 6, losing 59-48.
They played the Marauders at a camp at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott the weekend of June 1 and 2, as well.
“It was a good competitive game [Wednesday], which is what you want in the summertime. We’re trying to figure some stuff out, they’re trying to figure some stuff out,” Camp Verde head coach Dan Wall said. “From that side of things, being in the gym playing hoops is good; it’s a good time of year for sure.”
Camp Verde returns many of its key players from last season, in which it improved its overall record to 8-10 and its Central Region record to 4-9 after going 2-16 and 1-11 in the 2016-17 season.
Those players were mostly sophomores, and will step into their first season as upperclassmen looking to continue the trend of steady improvement.
Summertime scrimmages allow coaches to evaluate their entire roster, and both teams let players of all experience level go up and down the court. One player who is a proven talent is junior guard Abe Gonzalez, who had two big blocks in the second half, including one in transition.
Camp Verde trailed 31-22 at halftime of the June 6 scrimmage, which was played in two 20-minute, running-clock halves.
Gonzalez made it 43-36 on his three-point play, then scored a layup on the fast break to cut the deficit to 43-40 with 9:10 to go.
Camp Verde junior guard Jason Collier tied the game at 46 on his and-1 play with 6:20 left.
Cowboys senior center Dayton Smith missed a free throw, and the Marauders capitalized through a three-pointer by senior guard Chaz Taylor to regain a 49-46 advantage.
Camp Verde missed some free throws while Mingus cashed in on its shots from the charity stripe to pull away down the stretch, winning 59-48.
The Cowboys lost to the Marauders by three points in their game at Embry-Riddle.
The freshman and junior varsity teams squared off, as well.
“Getting a look at some of the young kids, and that’s what earlier today was, a lot of freshman, a lot of JV games,” Wall said. “Just getting guys a chance to play, that’s a big part of what we’re trying to do.”
The Cowboys will be back at Mingus for another scrimmage on Wednesday, June 13.
