(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College men’s basketball team claimed its second straight Region I, Division II Championship and fifth under coach Brian Peabody as it secured its spot in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
The No. 1 seeded Aztecs defeated No. 2 Chandler-Gilbert Community College 80-73 and set a new single season record in wins at 32-0. The previous record was 31-5 set back in 2017-18 when the Aztecs finished the season as the NJCAA Division II National Runner-Up.
The Aztecs were tested and held a slim lead for much of the first half. The Aztecs led 34-32 at halftime as it was only the eighth time they had led by single digits at halftime. The other 24 games, they led by double digits at the break.
The Coyotes started the second half with a 10-2 run to take a 42-36 advantage. The Aztecs tied the game at 42-42 after sophomore Gabe Oldham’s three-point play but the Coyotes took the lead back with a three-pointer.
Sophomore Cohenj Gonzales (Mesquite HS), who had just two points in the first half, scored five straight as Pima took the lead back. The Aztecs got back-to-back dunks by sophomore Wes Ball (Marana HS) and freshman Mason Hunt (Bradshaw Mountain HS), as they built momentum and turned it into a 22-3 run that was capped off by sophomore Max Majerle’s (Arcadia HS) three-pointer. The Aztecs took a 64-48 lead with 7:30 left to play.
“The energy of the crowd, I was talking to my teammates, and when we played Scottsdale (on Mar. 1), the crowd was a huge factor in our reason for winning. Tonight, they helped us out in the same sense where we got transition dunks and transition three’s,” sophomore guard Kota Benson said about what sparked the 22-3 run. “We benefited off of their energy.”
The Aztecs led 67-50 but the Coyotes wouldn’t go away as they used a 12-2 run to cut it back down to single digits at 69-62 with 3:51 left. The Aztecs countered with Majerle as he drained a three-pointer to put the lead back at 10 points (72-62).
Gonzales and Benson combined to go 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the final 2:30 to help seal the region title.
“This feels amazing. Back-to-back is something that’s rare to do. To win it with this group of dudes and Coach (Brian) Peabody, it’s amazing,” Benson said. “Chandler-Gilbert is really well coached and like last year, they got a bunch of really good players. We knew coming in it was going to be a tough game. They had won their last five in a row and were playing really well. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
“The start of the second half, we were down six points, but we kept doing what we do, kept playing Pima basketball and we were able to come out with the victory.”
Oldham led the way with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds as he shot 10 for 11 from the field. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Benson and Majerle each scored 15 points. Benson added four rebounds and four assists while Majerle shot 4 for 7 from three-point range and grabbed eight rebounds and four assists.
Gonzales scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, and also posted three assists and two steals.
Ball shot 3 for 4 from the field with six points and seven rebounds. Hunt also contributed with six points.
The Aztecs will play in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament from Mar. 17-22 at the Mary Miller Center in Danville, IL. The NJCAA Division II Tournament selection show will be Tuesday, March 11 on the NJCAA Network and the NJCAA Basketball Twitter/X account.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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