Camp Verde High School boys basketball plays with confidence. That’s been clear since the season’s tip off in early December, and it’s especially evident over a month later. So when then 13-0 2A squad Phoenix Country Day came to town Tuesday night with 6-foot-8 Johns Hopkins University commit Tanti Felli, the Cowboys stood across the court like their namesake in an old western film — stone-faced and ready to go — guns ablazing.
The Cowboys (7-0), now the No. 3 team in the Arizona Interscholastic Association 3A Conference rankings, dismantled one of the top teams in 2A 85-57 behind a triple-double from senior wing Devon James and 25 points from the gunslinger himself, senior guard Chino Salas-Zorilla.
“We knew coming in they were going to be a really tough opponent,” Camp Verde head coach Dan Wall said. “They have shooters all over the court and obviously their big kid inside [Felli] is skilled, he isn’t just big. So we knew it was going to be a staunch challenge. This is one of the best our kids have done defensively thus far.”
Early on, it looked like that big kid inside was going to be a major problem. He scored six powerful points in the first quarter. Not only was his 6-foot-8 frame nearly impossible to guard in the post, but he could dribble and shoot like some of the best point guards Camp Verde has faced yet.
But once the game settled down, Felli became a near non-factor. Junior center Chito Herrera and senior center Corey Johnson, both listed at 6-foot-4, used their solid frames to bring physicality to Felli’s thin stature. It clearly rattled Felli, who finished with 12 points and was scoreless in the entire second half.
“He’s a really tough player,” Johnson, who scored 10 points and locked down four rebounds, said. “For me it was physicality. I tried to physically be around him and not let him get those easy buckets.”
There were no easy buckets for any of the Eagles. The Cowboys clamped down on the perimeter and forced the Eagles to move the ball inside, which was usually met with bully-ball down low from Herrera and Johnson.
The offensive firepower from outside was the difference-maker for Camp Verde. Senior Devon James earned an impressive triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on the night. He was everywhere on the court, pestering the Eagles on defense and distributing the ball offensively while knocking down each open opportunity he saw.
Senior guard Alex Dale caught fire from three as he went 4-for-4 from range and finishing with 18 points.
“It just felt like, ‘Okay I’m feeling good right now,’” he said. “I just kept on flowing and everything was just falling.”
While Felli got much of the attention from fans before the game, Salas-Zorilla staked his claim to being one of the top players in small-school conferences. He put on a show, as usual, with five three’s for 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
This Camp Verde team is rolling. After adding a 83-56 win over Winslow Thursday, the Cowboys are ranked No. 3 in all of 3A with a 7-0 record. State championship aspirations are beginning to form but this team is staying focused, knowing there’s plenty of more basketball to be played.
“Attitude is our word of the week,” Wall said. “Just how we respond when things don’t go 100% our way or when good things happen too, we have to sustain our effort.”
The Cowboys return to the hardwood in Camp Verde Saturday, when they host the Page Sand Devils at 7 p.m.
