On Saturday, February 16th I went to watch the Sweet 16 match-up of the #13 seed Dobson Mustangs versus the #4 Mesa Jackrabbits. There was a vibe in the air like this was the final game of the year, and not a seat was open in the stands in Mesa’s gym, as it was probably the hottest gym I have been in this year.
The game started as 6-foot-5 senior SG Jaron Hopkins (Univ. of Colorado signee) jumped out of the gym to win the tip for Dobson, but missed the first shot of the game, before Mesa 6-foot-4 sophomore PG Jalen Jenkins grabbed the rebound and blew by Hopkins for a basket and a foul. Jenkins would miss the free-throw for a 2 to 0 Mesa lead.
Dobson 6-foot-4 junior SG Kodi Justice (Arizona State commit) then scored 4 points in a row, as he was being extremely aggressive early on, followed by an assist to a wide open 5-foot-9 senior guard Carson Glick for a three-pointer to go up 7 to 2 for Dobson.
Then Jenkins, once again, blew by Hopkins again for a driving lay-up for 2 points for a 7 to 4 Dobson lead. One the next play, 6-foot-6 junior forward Felipe Velazco scored a driving lay-up, for a 7 to 6 Dobson lead.
Then Carson Glick again for another 3 on a nice pass from Justice, followed by a Hopkins' 3-ball for a 13 to 6 Dobson lead. Dobson's early burst had the Mustangs' fans getting off their seats and cheering for their underdog team.
Mesa's 6-foot-10 junior center Isaac Allen then got fouled and converted both free-throws, followed by Jenkins, who got fouled as he blew by Hopkins again and made both, also for a 13 to 10 Dobson lead after the first quarter.
The second period started as 5-foot-10 senior guard Alex Brusnahan made a mid-range jumper for a 15-10 lead for Dobson.
Allen then made a free-throw for a 15-11 lead, followed by another Jenkins' blow-by for a 15-13 Dobson lead.
Then the most spectacular play of the game took place where back-to-back blocks by Isaac Allen and Kodi Justice happened in the second quarter, seen here by Arizona’s Finest Mix-Tapes: Mesa Vs. Dobson Back to Back Blocks - YouTube
After those amazing plays, there were many missed free throws by both teams and some poor shooting. Finally, Velazco would end the drought - making two free-throws for a tie at 15.
Justice then made two free-throws off a 1-and-1 for a 17-15 lead for Dobson. Once again though, Jenkins would blow by his man again, followed by a deep three by 6-foot-1 sophomore SG Kale Abbott for a 20-17 lead for Mesa, which was the first three-pointer of the night by Mesa.
The score read 20-17 for a Mesa lead, after a brutal shooting display by both teams, but mainly Mesa. Mesa was missing wide-open shots, but still held a 3-point lead, which was probably not good news for Dobson.
Jenkins had 10 points and Justice had 7 points at the half.
The second half started with an explosion of offense for both teams, as 5-foot-10 junior SG Christian Harris got hot and scored 8 points, along with Justice and Jenkins who scored 6 points each. Also in that run, Hopkins scored 3 points and 6-foot-1 senior guard DJ Henderson scored 4 points for a 38 to 26 lead for Mesa.
Dobson 6-foot-5 junior SG Ryan Richardson finally got into the act and scored on a beautiful floater, followed by Jenkins two made free-throws for a 40-28 lead for Mesa. Then Velazco made a tip-in for a 42 to 28 lead.
Dobson then played for the last shot and got that from Ryan Richardson, who hit a 3-point shot at the buzzer to close it to a 42-31 Mesa lead.
The final quarter started and Jenkins made a beautiful spin-move for a lay-up and a 44 to 33 lead, followed by Hopkins who goes coast-to-coast for a 44 to 35 game. Then Jenkins scores again with a 10-foot shot for a 46 to 35 game.
Justice then hit a deep 3-ball and Isaac Allen got called for a technical foul. Richardson made 1 free throw for a 46-39 game with 5 minutes left to play.
Henderson and Jenkins scored, followed by Hopkins for a 50 to 41 game. But Hopkins would foul out of his last game in Arizona, as the Mustangs' faithful became very quiet.
Isaac Allen finally made his first field-goal of the night, as it was an emphatic dunk from a great feed by Harris.
The game finished with a free-throw display for DJ Henderson, as Mesa held on to win 68 to 54 - advancing to the Elite 8 where they will play the Desert Mountain Wolves at Arizona State's Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday.
Jalen Jenkins was special tonight, as he had a game and career-high of 25 points. He allowed only 9 points to star guard Hopkins, as they guarded each other the whole game. Jenkins looked like the better prospect, versus one of the best guards in the state, which says a lot about Jenkins' future.
DJ Henderson scored 19 points, which was all in the second half, and Isaac Allen had 3 blocks and 17 rebounds to help Mesa on defense. Felipe Velazco also chipped in with 12 rebounds.
Kodi Justice paced Dobson with 21 points in the losing effort.
