The VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge has quickly developed into the premier high school basketball tournament over the holidays in the state, and this year's tournament got off to an excellent start on Thursday evening with only two games on the night. After Mesa Mountain View would blow past an outmatched Salpointe Catholic HS team in the first game, the stage was set for, possibly, the best match-up of the tournament in the final game of the evening.
On the first night of this year's event, Arizona's two-time defending Division-I state champions, Corona Del Sol (9-0) would face one of the top teams in the country, St. John Bosco (CA) (6-4). Corona, who will later face Findlay Prep (NV) in January (1/4), has gone undefeated this high school season and has been the class of the state, once again.
Corona is led by the play of a trio of division-I prospects - superb 6-foot-3 senior point man Casey Benson (University of Oregon signee), tough 6-foot-9 senior post Connor MacDougall (Arizona State signee) and Alaska transfer, 6-foot-6 junior wing Dane Kuiper (University of New Mexico commit). Benson has led the Aztecs to consecutive state titles, while MacDougall and Kuiper are new to this year's team and the Aztecs successful basketball program.
On Thursday evening, while understanding the importance of the first-round match-up with one of the nation's most regarded teams, Corona would come out fired up for the contest. Corona would jump out to a big 15-4 lead to start the game, behind the play of MacDougall inside and Benson from the perimeter. After a three-pointer from Benson, Corona would storm to a 18-4 lead with 12 minutes left to play in the first half.
St. John Bosco though would go on a 7-0 run to make the game much tighter, but Corona would then come right back. After a transition layup from Benson, Corona would take a 24-11 lead late in the first half.
Corona head coach Sam Duane Jr. would insert talented 6-foot-1 freshman guard Alex Barcello into the lineup early in the first half, and Barcello would provide a spark for the Aztecs. Corona would eventually take a 37-26 lead into halftime.
You had to feel that St. John Bosco would come out playing very hard in the second half, but the team did look tired from the serious travel they had recently taken on. St. John Bosco had just traveled from the City of Palms Classic in Florida, one of the nation's premier tournaments.
Bosco would rely heavily on the play of 6-foot-7 senior guard/forward Daniel Hamilton (UCONN signee) and 6-foot-4 junior point guard Tyler Dorsey in the game. Two of the nation's elite prospects, Hamilton and Dorsey would seem to score almost every basket for Bosco down the stretch. Behind the early second half play of Hamilton, Bosco would pull within 5 points of Corona, 42 to 37, with 12:22 remaining in the game.
Bosco would then take the game's lead over Corona, 57-56, after a three-pointer from Dorsey with 3:53 left to play, but Benson would put Corona back in the lead, 61-60, with 2:30 left to play, after a driving layup over a defender.
After a break-away dunk by Dane Kuiper to put Corona ahead 65-60, Dorsey would make another three-pointer for Bosco - Corona holding on to a two-point advantage.
After several free-throws in the last minute by both teams, Bosco would draw up one final play to tie the game with 6 seconds left to play, but Hamilton's shot would fall short - giving Corona Del Sol the big 69-66 vicotry over one of the nation's hottest teams.
"We were really tired tonight,"said Bosco head coach Derrick Taylor after the game. "We were hoping to not have to play them in our first game."
Corona will now face New York's Thomas Jefferson High School on Friday evening at 5:30PM.
