(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College men’s basketball team (32-0) completed its mission at the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium on Saturday in the Region I, Division II Finals.
The No. 1 seeded Aztecs defeated No. 3 Scottsdale Community College 74-49 to win their third straight Region I, Division II and West District Championships.
The Aztecs dominated in the early going as they went on a 17-0 run that lasted seven minutes to put the score at 20-2. Pima had six different scorers during that stretch. The Artichokes went 0-for-3 from the field with three turnovers until Coleman Fields’ three-pointer halted the run at the 12:05 mark.
The Aztecs put together another 11-3 run in six minutes that was capped off by sophomore Ky Green’s basket to make it 31-8. The Aztecs took a 37-19 lead at halftime.
The Aztecs took their biggest lead of the game at 55-28 (27 points) after freshman Isaiah Hill (Premier Prep Academy) hit a three-pointer with 13:09 left in the game. Scottsdale couldn’t narrow the margin by less than 21 points.
Sophomore Mason Hunt (Bradshaw Mountain HS) finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-for-17 shooting to go with two rebounds and two steals. He was named the Region I, Division II Finals Most Valuable Player.
“It was really our defense that was holding it down,” Hunt said about the team’s fast start. “They (Scottsdale) started to score a bit, but we just had to get back to what we do in the second half and we got the win.”
Hill finished with 16 points, eight assists, six rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Sophomore Isaac Johnson closed out the game with 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting and nine rebounds.
Sophomore Brock Mendoza added six points and three rebounds while freshman Will Feagles (Notre Dame Prep) had six points and four rebounds. Green contributed four points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Hunt, Johnson and Mendoza were the three active sophomore returners from last year’s team. They finish their regular season and Region I, Division II Tournament careers at 64-0 overall, 36-0 in ACCAC conference play, 46-0 in games at the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium and 18-0 in regular season road games.
“It sounds good. I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Johnson said about the feats. “To be a part of something original…it’s big. We couldn’t have done it without them (Hunt and Mendoza). They played a big part even though we had a really young team. It was good to have a couple more sophomores and guys that were here last year to help lead the team and get us to where we needed to be.”
It is the sixth Region I and West District crowns for the program under Coach Brian Peabody and the second time that they have earned a three-peat. They claimed three straight Region I, Division II titles in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The Aztecs will play at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament from Mar. 16-21 at the Mary Miller Center in Danville, IL. The NJCAA Tournament Selection Show will be on Tuesday, Mar. 10 at 6:00 p.m. (ET); 4:00 p.m. (Tucson time) with the Daylight Saving switch occurring this Sunday.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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