Following the move to 3A for the 2020-21 school year, Camp Verde High School’s basketball teams are no longer region or conference rivals with the still 2A Sedona Red Rock High School teams. But even with that change and the limited schedule, the two schools still found time for a freedom game in Sedona on Saturday, Feb. 20. And when the boys teams squared off, the Cowboys got the better of the Scorpions.
Camp Verde was never behind in the game, and once the 0-0 tie was broken, was always ahead. When all was said and done, the Cowboys were on the good side of a 73-46 final.
While Camp Verde held a comfortable 32-18 lead at halftime, the Cowboys weren’t entirely satisfied with their effort until the third quarter, which they won 29-15 to put the game away.
“At moments it was OK,” Camp Verde coach Dan Wall said of his team’s effort. “In the third quarter we came out and played a little closer to the level — from an energy standpoint — that we were hoping for. And honestly to start the game, in the first couple of minutes, they got after it, too. We just had some energy lulls as we went through, late in the first and in the second. But I liked how they responded when they came out after halftime.”
A pair of juniors — forward Devon James and guard Chino Salas-Zorrilla — led the way offensively for Camp Verde. James finished the games with 21 points while Salas-Zorrilla was right behind him with 20. Both of them outscored Sedona senior guard Jaiah Grondin, who led the Scorpions with 17. James and Salas-Zorrilla also accounted for most of the Cowboys’ offensive barrage in the third quarter, with James scoring 10 and Salas-Zorrilla scoring 13.
Salas-Zorilla added five assists, five steals and four rebounds, while James had five assists, four steals and four rebounds. Another key contributor on the night was sophomore center Chito Herrera, who recorded a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling in 14 rebounds.
While the Cowboys held the Scorpions to five points in the second quarter, Salas-Zorrilla felt that Camp Verde’s defense really began to pick things up in the third quarter, which then contributed to the offensive outburst.
“We actually got stops on bumping cutters,” he said. “It led to points in transition.”
The Cowboys now sit at 8-5 overall. Camp Verde holds a 6-3 record in conference play and is 3-3 in the 3A North Central Region — both marks were unchanged with the game against the Scorpions. Entering the win over Sedona,
AZPreps had Camp Verde ranked No. 17 in 3A. The new rankings will be published on AZpreps365.com on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 12 p.m. With the top 16 teams going to the playoffs, the Cowboys will need to finish the season strong. The Cowboys got off to a good start on that path, defeating Parker 68-33 on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Camp Verde will be on the road against Page on Friday, Feb. 26, and Northwest Christian on Monday, March 1. The Cowboys will then conclude their season with home games against Tonopah Valley on Tuesday, March 2, and Winslow on Thursday, March 4. The Northwest Christian game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. All other remaining games will start at 7 p.m.
“I think we’re pretty good,” Salas-Zorrilla said. “We’ve got some losses that we shouldn’t have lost. We’ve got to close games out. But other than that, I think we’re pretty good.”
Wall generally agrees and feels that the team has done a good job replacing the production of junior guard Cristoph Castro, the Camp Verde’s third leading scorer, who’s been sidelined with an ankle injury.
“We’ve had to weather some stuff,” Wall said. “We’ve had to weather Cristoph’s ankle, which is a really tough blow for our group. But a lot of kids are stepping up and playing better. Their roles have changed a little bit but they’re up to the challenge. I’m really pleased with where we’re at right now.”
