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    2011-12 TIGER VARSITY ROSTER    
    # PLAYER HEIGHT WEIGHT CLASS      
    10 Freddie Lash 6 ‘ 3 145 12 PROFILES    
    12 Maurice Thomas 6 ‘ 5 175 11    
    15 DeAndre Myles 6 ‘ 0 180 12    
    20 Austin Harper 6 ‘ 0 155 12    
    21 Conner Helvig 6 ‘ 3 160 11    
    22 Tanner Reber 6 ‘ 4 180 11    
    23 Sergio Valladolid 6 ‘ 0 160 11    
    24 Josiah Claw 6 ‘ 0 175 12    
    32 Anthony Bryant 5 ‘ 9 165 10    
    33 Cody Martin 6 ‘ 1 180 12    
    34 Erik Crawford 6 ‘ 2 185 12    
    40 Zane Murrell 6 ‘ 10 240 12    
    44 DJ Hurd 6 ‘ 1 180 12    
     
TEAM COLORS: BLACK & GOLD
MASCOT: TIGERS
1101 E. Elliot Rd. ● Gilbert, AZ 85234
Phone ● (480) 497-0177 Ext. 169		    
   

STAFF

    
    Head Varsity Coach Jay Caserio    
    Assistant Varsity Coach Andy Moeller    
    Head Junior Varsity Coach Clyde Myles    
    Head Freshman Coach JP Price    
    Assistant Freshmen Coach Fabian Valladolid    
    Manager/Video Brian Miller    
    Statistics Tommy Lemmons    
           
   

ADMINISTRATION

    
    Principal Dr. J. Charles Santa Cruz    
    Athletic Director Dan Haasch    
    Athletic Dept. Secretary Beth Navarro    
           
    2011-12 TIGER VARSITY SCHEDULE    
    NOVEMBER TIME LOCATION OPPONENT RESULT RECORD    
    11/21 Monday 7:45PM FEAR THE
HOP
HOLIDAY
TOURNEY		 Corona Del Sol (L) 48-68 0-1    
    11/22 Tuesday 7:45PM Hamilton (W) 56-44 1-1    
    11/23 Wednesday 7:45PM Mesa (W) 50-34 2-1    
    11/26 Saturday 7:00PM Mesquite (W) 51-38 3-1    
    DECEMBER TIME LOCATION OPPONENT RESULT RECORD    
    12/02 Friday 7:00PM Away Desert Ridge (L) 66-77 3-2    
    12/08 Thursday 7:00PM Home Marcos de Niza (W) 74-56 4-2    
    12/09 Friday 7:00PM Home Desert Ridge (W) 45-38 5-2    
    12/13 Tuesday 7:00PM Home Highland (W) 69-56 6-2    
    12/15 Thursday 7:00PM Away Skyline (W) 47-27 7-2    
    12/16 Friday 7:00PM Away Red Mountain (W) 64-52 8-2    
    12/27 Tuesday 5:30PM Holiday
Hoops Fest		 Gilbert Christian (W) 58-48 9-2    
    12/28 Wednesday 5:30PM Desert Mountain (L) 41-47 9-3    
    12/29 Thursday 5:30PM Raymond Kellis (L) 47-54 9-4    
    JANUARY TIME LOCATION OPPONENT RESULT RECORD    
    01/06 Friday 7:00PM Home Red Mountain (L) 55-56 9-5    
    01/10 Tuesday 7:00PM Away Maryvale (W) 74-46 10-5    
    01/12 Thursday 7:00PM Home Mesquite (W) 72-55 11-5    
    01/13 Friday 7:00PM Away Highland (W) 55-40 12-5    
    01/16 Monday 5:30PM ASU-MLK Basha (W) 68-52 13-5    
    01/17 Tuesday 7:00PM Home Skyline (W) 63-29 14-5    
    01/20 Friday 7:00PM Home Dobson (W) 62-45 15-5    
    01/26 Thursday 7:00PM Away Mesquite (W) 53-49 16-5    
    01/27 Friday 7:00PM Away Dobson (L) 62-65 16-6    
    01/31 Tuesday 7:00PM Home Basha * (W) 75-54 17-6    
    FEBRUARY TIME LOCATION OPPONENT RESULT RECORD    
    02/02 Thursday 7:00PM Home Williams Field ** (W) 49-20 18-6    
    02/03 Friday 7:00PM Away Mountain Pointe (W) 62-49 19-6    
    FEBRUARY TIME LOCATION POST SEASON-SECTIONAL RESULT RECORD    
    02/08 Wednesday 5:45PM Mesquite HS Buena (W) 69-48 20-6    
    02/10 Friday 7:30PM Mesquite HS Corona del Sol (L) 50-60 20-7    
    FEBRUARY TIME LOCATION POST SEASON-STATE RESULT RECORD    
    02/18 Saturday 7:00PM Home Yuma Cibola (W) 79-31 21-7    
    02/21 Tuesday 2:30PM Wells Fargo Desert Vista (L) 50-53 21-8    
    SPECIAL EVENTS              
    *

..Parent Night

    
    **

..Senior Night

    
    2011-12 TIGER GAME RECAPS    

 

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●●● GILBERT - DESERT VISTA (STATE QUARTERFINAL) ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #29 - February 21, 2012
 by Richard Obert, azcentral.com
Danny Powell has few equals on the basketball court in Arizona.

But it has been the way Powell has allowed teammates around him to blossom in recent weeks that has Phoenix Desert Vista back to the boys basketball semifinals for the first time since 2008, when the school captured the state championship.

Powell, a 6-foot-6 senior swingman who has signed with Eastern Washington, had 24 points in Desert Vista's 53-50 Division I quarterfinal victory over Gilbert on Tuesday at Arizona State's Wells Fargo Arena.

Afterward, Desert Vista coach Dave Williams fought back tears, saying he wished his ailing father could have been in attendance.

His father's health recently, he said, has taken a turn for the worse.

Desert Vista (22-8) continued to play with the cohesion and confidence it showed in Saturday's 32-point playoff rout of Mesa Mountain View.

The key has been Powell's unselfishness, Williams said.

"Danny Powell is playing basketball like we asked him to do the whole year," Williams said. "He finally stopped trying to be the whole show. We knew he's the best player in the state. But you have to learn how to play together."

Powell didn't take one bad shot Tuesday. He got help from senior guard Jeff Lowery, who had 13 points.

John Marshall, Powell, Kyle Pitman and Lowery combined to sink 9 of 10 foul shots in the final minute to ward off a Gilbert comeback.

Gilbert (21-7), which had won 12 of 14 games entering the game, led 39-37 on forward Erik Crawford's follow shot with 3:46 left.

Powell converted a 3-point play, and Marshall scored on a layup to give Desert Vista a 44-41 lead with 2:55 to play.

Crawford's two free throws at 1:43 gave Gilbert a one-point lead before Marshall's jumper with 1:06 left gave Desert Vista a lead it would never lose again.

Gilbert was forced to foul after Crawford's 3-point try missed.

"I think the key has been all of our role players stepped it up and hit big shots," Powell said. "Kyle Pitman came along the last part of the season.

"We're really proud of how everybody hast stepped up."

Gilbert was led by Crawford's 21 points.

Guard Freddie Lash, who has been the key to Gilbert's push late in the season, was held to five points.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT -- -- -- -- 50
DESERT VISTA -- -- -- -- 53
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash                
Thomas                
Myles                
Harper                
Helvig                
Reber                
Valladolid                
Claw                
Bryant                
Martin                
Crawford                
Murrell                
Hurd                
TOTAL                
PCT                

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - CIBOLA (STATE ROUND 2) ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #28 - February 18, 2012
The Tigers won their 2nd round match-up versus Cibola Saturday night by a score of 79 - 31. The Tigers came out of the gates very focused, sharing the ball and making shots. At the end of the first quarter the Tigers were up by a score of 30 - 10 with 6 made 3 pointers. The Tigers continued to share the basketball the rest of the way and did a good job on the defensive end.


The Tigers had 4 players score in double figure including DeAndre Myles (10), Freddie Lash (11), DJ Hurd (13) and leading scorer Erik Crawford (19). Up next for the Tigers are the quarter-finals versus a big, athletic and talented Desert Vista Thunder team at Wells Fargo Tuesday at 2:30.


Take a half day and come out to support the Tigers!

 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 30 16 21 12 79
CIBOLA 10 04 09 08 31
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 2 5 1 2-2 2-3 3-3 11 -
Thomas - 2 - 2-2 - - 4 -
Myles 1 5 - 4-4 - 2-2 10 -
Harper 1 3 - 1-3 - - 2 1
Helvig 3 5 1 1-3 2-4 - 8 -
Reber 2 2 - - - - - 1
Valladolid 1 1 - - - - - 2
Claw - - - 1-1 - - 2 -
Bryant 7 2 2 2-10 - - 4 2
Martin 5 5 - 0-2 1-2 - 3 1
Crawford 3 2 2 5-7 3-3 - 19 -
Murrell - 1 - 1-3 - 1-3 - -
Hurd - 5 - 5-5 1-1 - 13 -
TOTAL 25 38 6 24-42 9-13 6-8 79 7
PCT       57% 69% 75%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - CORONA (SECTIONAL ROUND 2) ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #27 - February 10, 2012
 by Richard Obert, azcentral.com
Gilbert answered every Tempe Corona del Sol run Friday night, but, in the end, it was simply not big and strong enough to hold off the state's top-ranked team at Gilbert Mesquite.

Corona del Sol extended its winning streak to 25 games after beating Gilbert 60-50 in a Division I, Section II boys basketball sectional semifinal game played with state championship intensity.

These teams could very well meet up again at state the way they both came out Friday.

"It just took hard work," said Corona del Sol senior guard Calaen Robinson, who had 13 points and sparked the turnaround with strong defense, especially in the final 10 seconds of the first half.

Fourth-ranked Gilbert (20-6) led by 28-17 with two minutes left in the first half after hitting four 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch.

Corona del Sol (27-1) closed the gap to seven at halftime, after Robinson made a steal and fed guard Casey Benson for a basket, and then Benson (16 points) fed Robinson on a drive to the basket in the final 10 seconds. Robinson was fouled on the play and made 1 of 2 free throws.

Braden Tennyson had four 3-pointers to give Corona del Sol a big boost. His 3 late in the third quarter gave Corona del Sol a 39-37 lead.

The teams kept trading leads, before Corona del Sol's strength and size inside with Andrus Peat and Avery Moss finally wore on smaller Gilbert.

After Cody Martin's 3-pointer cut Corona del Sol's lead to 51-50 with 2:50 left, Corona del Sol ended the game on a 9-0 run.

Moss (11 points) scored as he was fouled under the basket to start the spurt. On Gilbert's next possession, Moss swatted the ball off the backboard and to a teammate.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 11 16 12 11 50
CORONA DEL SOL 07 13 19 21 60
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 4 4 - 3-6 1-7 - 9 1
Thomas 1 1 - - - - - -
Myles - 10 - 3-5 - - 6 -
Harper - 1 - - - - - 1
Helvig 3 2 - 3-6 1-5 2-3 11 2
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - 1 - - - - - -
Claw - - - - - - - -
Bryant - - - - - - - -
Martin 2 5 - 0-1 1-2 - 3 4
Crawford 1 3 - 3-5 3-6 1-2 16 -
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - 5 - 1-3 1-3 - 5 2
TOTAL 19 32 0 13-26 7-23 3-5 50 10
PCT       50% 30% 60%    

 

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - BUENA (SECTIONAL ROUND 1) ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #26 - February 08, 2012
The Tigers were able to get the victory in the Division 1, Section 2 first round sectional tournament as the #5 seed by beating the #4 seeded Buena Colts at Mesquite by a score of 69 - 48. The victory locked up a berth in next week's state tournament and the Tigers are excited to be back in the dance for the first time in three years, but not satisfied as they are hungry to continue to get better.

The Tigers were able to jump on the Colts in the first quarter and get out to a commanding 17 - 2 lead with good ball movement and focus on the defensive end. The Tigers knew they were going to be in a fast paced game and the coaching staff was pleased to see them get back and cover in transition. Buena's leading scorer, Mark Matthews, was able to reach his season average with 19 points, but the Tigers were able to limit Buena's other two studs, Marcus Mears and Kyani Dillard to well below their averages with very good team defense.

With a 34 - 20 halftime lead the Colts were able to cut into the deficit and draw to within 8 points. After a TO the Tigers came out and put together a nice run at the end of the 3rd quarter to go back up 15 points and continued that run in the early parts of the 4th to extend the lead to 20. The Tigers scoring was very balanced as they continue to pass up shots to get their teammates even better ones. Freddie Lash led the game with 21 points and other double figure scorers were Erik Crawford's 14 points and DeAndre Myles' double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Up next for the Tigers is the semi-finals of the sectional tournament at Mesquite Friday night at 7:30 versus Corona. The game before at 5:45 will be the other semi-final, which will be Red Mountain versus Hamilton. Thanks to all the fans who paid the $8/$6 to support the Tigers. There was a lot of freshmen and junior varsity players and their parents in attendance. Pretty neat!

 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 17 17 17 18 69
BUENA 02 18 16 12 48
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 1   1 7-12 2-6 2-3 21 -
Thomas 1   - - - - - 1
Myles 2 11 - 5-7 - - 10 -
Harper 1 - - 0-1 0-1 - - 1
Helvig 2 7 - 4-5 0-2 - 8 1
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw - - - 1-1 0-1 2-2 4 1
Bryant 4 4 2 3-7 - 2-2 8 -
Martin 3 1 - 0-1 - - - -
Crawford   8 - 5-8 0-2 4-4 14 -
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd 1 2 - 2-2 - - 4 -
TOTAL 19 40 3 27-44 2-12 9-10 69 4
PCT       61% 17% 90%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - MOUNTAIN POINTE ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #25 - February 03, 2012
The Tigers were able to get a great road victory versus the Mountain Pointe Pride on Friday night by the score of 62 - 49. The Tigers jumped out to an early 19 - 8 first quarter lead, but the Pride played inspired basketball and outscored the Tigers by 1 in the second to trim their deficit to a 36 to 26 halftime score. The Tigers jumped out in the 2nd half by scoring the first 5 points, but then went cold and eventually got outscored by 5 points in the quarter. In the final stanza the Tigers really did a nice job of finding the open man like they did throughout, but were able to covert 8 field goals to pull away from Mountain Pointe.

The Tigers did a pretty good job of holding Kari Holloway to 11 points, which is 8 points below his average. Also, the Tigers dominated the glass and out-rebounded Mountain Pointe 36 - 23.

Erik Crawford had a great game as he had a game high 18 points and 12 boards to give him a double-double on the night and was just 4 assists shy of a triple-double. Other double figure scorers were DeAndre Myles' 14 points and Freddie Lash's 13 points. The Tigers also assisted on 21 of their 27 field goals on the night.

Next up for the Tigers is a sectional game versus a very talented Buena team next Wednesday at 5:45 at Mesquite high school. More information about the sectional tournament and state tournament will be posted on the home page. Hope to see all the Tiger fans out cheering on the Tigers Wednesday night.
 

TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 19 17 07 19 62
MOUNTAIN POINTE 08 18 12 11 49
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - 2 1 4-9 1-2 2-6 13 1
Thomas - 1 - - - - - 1
Myles 3 6 2 7-10 - - 14 -
Harper 2 5 1 2-2 0-4 - 4 1
Helvig 5 3 - 1-2 0-2 - 2 2
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw 1 - - - - - - 2
Bryant 3 5 - 2-6 - 2-4 6 3
Martin - - - - - - - -
Crawford 6 12 1 8-12 0-2 2-2 18 3
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd 1 2 - 1-1 1-1 - 5 1
TOTAL 21 36 5 25-52 2-11 6-12 62 14
PCT       48% 18% 50%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - WILLIAMS FIELD ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #24 - February 02, 2012
On senior night the Tigers were able to play well enough to take home the win versus Williams Field by a score of 49 - 20. On a night where the Tigers were not very sharp, their defense was strong enough to only allow 5 field goals in the game. All 12 Tigers were able to get significant playing time and again the Tiger's scoring was balanced and they were led by Freddie Lash's 11 points.

 Senior guard, Josiah Claw, gave the Tigers a spark off the bench in the first half which helped give the Tigers momentum going into the locker room at the half.

The final regular season game is tonight on the road versus a very athletic Mountain Pointe team. Thanks to the fans and pep band who have continued to support our guys. Hope to see you out at the game tonight.

 

TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 11 18 17 03 49
WILLIAMS FIELD 02 04 10 04 20
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 1  3 1 3-5 1-2 2-3 11 -
Thomas - 3 1 - - - - 2
Myles 3 9 - 2-4 - - 4 1
Harper 2 - - 0-1 1-1 - 3 -
Helvig 1 4 1 0-1 2-4 2-4 8 4
Reber - 1 - 0-1 1-1 0-2 3 1
Valladolid 2 1 - 1-1 - 1-1 3 1
Claw 2 - - 2-2 0-1 - 4 2
Bryant - 3 - 2-3 0-3 - 4 4
Martin - - - - 0-1 - - -
Crawford 3 4 1 1-2 1-3 -    
Murrell - 2 - 1-2 - - 2 1
Hurd 1 6 2 - - - - 1
TOTAL 15 36 6 12-22 6-16 5-10 49 18
PCT       55% 38% 50%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - BASHA ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #23 - January 31, 2012
 By Kyle Odegard, Tribune
Freddie Lash threw down a left-handed dunk, then couldn't help himself.

With the home crowd whipped into a frenzy, the senior guard lifted his arms above his head and flexed his biceps.

The move drew a technical foul, and truth be told, the wiry 6-foot-3, 145-pounder doesn't have much muscle to show off, but Lash and the Gilbert boys basketball team proved once again on Tuesday night that looks can be deceiving.

The No. 7 Tigers beat No. 4 Basha for the second time this season, 75-54, in a critical Division I power points contest.

The Bears boast three juniors - Torren Jones, Jaron Hopkins and Maurice Kirby - that may go on to play Division I college basketball, but Gilbert's unimposing group made this victory look even easier than the first.

"I knew they were going to be out to beat us, obviously," Gilbert coach Jay Caserio said. "It was a big win."

Basha had an early 11-6 lead, but the Tigers went on a 16-0 run to take a lead they never relinquished. The Bears were within 41-36 midway through the third quarter, but Gilbert quickly pushed the lead back up to double digits in less than a minute.

Lash put the exclamation point on the victory by getting a pass in transition and throwing down the dunk for a 66-46 lead with 3:52 remaining.

"It felt so good," Lash said of the dunk. "You don't even know."

The Tigers entered the game eighth in the Division I power point rankings and the win should help them move up. The top-8 teams earn a first round bye in the state tournament.

Gilbert has two more games this week to end the regular season while others have only one, so the Tigers seem to have a good shot at making a move up in the standings.

"It should help, but it doesn't if you don't win," Caserio said.

Lash had 18 points to lead Gilbert and Erik Crawford added 15 points.

Jones led Basha with 13 points and eight rebounds. Hopkins had 11 points but shot only 4-of-16 from the field.

The Bears were second in the power point rankings heading into the contest. Coach Brad Pinter said Gilbert poses match-up problems for Basha.

"They did a good job of hitting outside shots, and once you're hitting that many 3's, you're going to get some inside stuff," he said.

Gilbert guard Cody Martin injured his knee with 9.8 seconds remaining in the first quarter and didn't return. Caserio said it was a muscle injury, and Martin, one of the team's best players, will be checked out on Wednesday morning.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 13 24 17 21 75
BASHA 11 15 16 12 54
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 1   - 4-5 2-3 2-3 10 1
Thomas - - - 1-1 - 0-2 - -
Myles 4 8 - 5-5 - - 4 1
Harper 2 - - 1-2 1-3 - 4 1
Helvig 3 3 - 1-2 1-1 2-2 8 2
Reber - 1 - 1-1 - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw - - - - - 1-2 - -
Bryant 10 2 - 2-3 0-3 0-1 15 1
Martin 1 2 - - 0-1 - 7 -
Crawford 1 3 1 4-5 2-4 1-2 12 -
Murrell - 1 - - - - - 1
Hurd 1 2 - 4-4 1-1 - 2 -
TOTAL 23 22 1 23-28 7-16 6-12 75 7
PCT       82% 44% 50%    

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - DOBSON ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #22 - January 27, 2012
The Tigers suffered a tough road loss Friday night against the Dobson Mustangs by a score of 65 - 62. The highly motivated Mustangs on senior night used sharp shooting to open up an early 10 point lead on the Tigers. The Tigers were trying to limit Dobson's big man, Marcus Tipton (game high 20 points and 14 rebounds), from getting paint touches, but Dobson made that difficult by their guards torching the nets from long distance. At the half the Mustangs had a 9 point lead.

Despite the loss the coaching staff was pleased to see the Tigers battle in the second half to trim that Dobson lead back to a one possession game. The way the game was going early it could of easily of been a blow out in the second half, but the Tigers weren't going to go down without a fight. The Tigers shared the basketball on offense to get good shots and flat out scrapped on the other end of the court to get loose balls and stops. The Tigers scoring was balanced again and they were led by Anthony Bryant's 15 points and 8 assists. The Tigers had a couple of chances late in the game to either take the lead or tie the game, but give credit to Dobson as they were able to make enough plays on both sides of the court to conserve the victory.

Up next for the Tigers is a home game next Tuesday night versus the Basha Bears who are currently the #3 team in Division 1. Tuesday night we will also be honoring the parents of our varsity team as it is Parent Night. Come out to see great high school basketball at "The Jungle."
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 14 16 15 17 62
DOBSON 22 17 10 16 65
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - - - 2-4 2-4 - 10 1
Thomas - - - - - - - -
Myles 1 6 1 2-4 0-2 - 4 2
Harper 1 2 - 1-3 0-3 2-4 4 1
Helvig 1 1 3 3-3 0-1 2-2 8 -
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw - - - - - - - -
Bryant 8 2 2 6-10 0-2 3-4 15 1
Martin - 3 - 1-5 1-1 2-2 7 1
Crawford - 2 1 2-4 3-6 1-2 12 1
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - - - 1-1 0-1 - 2 -
TOTAL 11 16 7 17-34 6-20 10-14 62 7
PCT       50% 30% 71%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - MESQUITE ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #21 - January 26, 2012
The Tigers were back in action Thursday night on the road versus the Mesquite Wildcats after not playing since last Friday night. The Wildcats played their tails off and made every possession for the Tigers difficult. Gilbert was able to take a 10 point lead once in the first half and then again in the second, but Sami Bazi's (18 points) three point bombs pulled them to within a basket late in the game. Freddie Lash did a nice job late in the game guarding Bazi by tipping a shot attempt and getting a great defensive block in transition.


The Tigers scoring was very balanced again and DJ Hurd led the Tigers with 11 points, all in the first half including three 3 pointers. Anthony Bryant made 2 out of 3 freet hrows down the stretch in a one possession game that helped Gilbert seal the victory. The Tigers are going to have to get focused quickly as they turn around and go on the road again Friday night to play the very balanced Dobson Mustangs.


 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 18 08 21 06 53
MESQUITE 11 09 18 11 49
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 3 3 2 1-4 1-2 1-2 6 1
Thomas - - - - - - - -
Myles 1 4 1 1-4 - - 2 -
Harper 1 - - 2-4 1-3 - 7 1
Helvig 1 - - 3-4 1-3 - 9 -
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw - - - - - - - -
Bryant 6 4 1 3-3 - 2-3 8 1
Martin 3 6 1 1-4 0-1 - 2 2
Crawford 4 6 - 2-4 1-1 3-4 10 2
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - 2 - 1-3 3-5 - 11 -
TOTAL 19 25 5 14-30 7-15 6-9 53 7
PCT       47% 47% 67%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - DOBSON ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #20 - January 20, 2012
 by Les Willsey - aia365.com

Gilbert High's plan of action against Dobson Friday night was to limit scoring opportunities for Dobson's 6-foot-5 forward Marcus Tipton. The Tigers did a good job of that themselves the first half. Tipton did that for Gilbert in the second half.

Using an 8-0 run in the final two minutes of the opening quarter, Gilbert grabbed control of the game and ran away midway through the third period to notch its sixth straight victory, a 62-45 triumph over Dobson in a Division I boys game at Gilbert High.

"I've seen Dobson enough that he becomes a monster if you let him catch it down low," Gilbert coach Jay Caserio said. "I though Erik Crawford did a great job guarding him. Crawford is 6-2 and what he does guarding other teams big players goes unnoticed."

Tipton made a three-point play in the opening period. He didn't get a shot attempt in the second. When Tipton started to warm up in the low post in the opening minutes of the third period (scoring seven quick points), he disappeared shortly thereafter.

Tipton was assessed two technical fouls in a matter of a few seconds and ejected with 4:11 left in the third period. An official ruled a jump ball rather than a foul when Tipton and a Gilbert player scrambled for a rebound. Tipton slammed the ball down and was awarded technical No. 1. No. 2 came when he said something to the official. That ended his night. Tipton won't be able to play in Dobson's next game on Tuesday against Red Mountain since his ejection carries a one-game suspension.

Dobson (16-8, 9-5 power-point games) trailed 39-31 when Tipton was ejected. Gilbert's Austin Harper made three of four technical-foul free throws to bump the lead to 11. The margin was 52-37 when the third period finished.

"We did a poor job of getting the ball inside," Dobson coach Rick McConnell said. "It's something we want to do having Marcus. But we got away from it. We hurried some shots and didn't slow down to look inside. We threw some passes that weren't there. They took advantage of the turnovers and our impatience."

It was a very balanced scoring night for Gilbert (15-5, 11-2 ppg), which got 13 points from Cody Martin (11 in the first half), 11 from Austin Harper (all in the third period) and 11 off the bench from Conner Helvig. Four other players scored between five and nine points

Harper opened the third quarter with two threes that extended a 27-21 halftime lead to 33-21 less than a minute deep in the period. Defensively, Gilbert held Dobson without a field goal for an 11-minute stretch -- the last two minutes of the first period through the first 90 seconds of the third period.

Dobson was led by Kyle Tomlinson with 13 points and got 10 points each from Tipton and Kodi Justice.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 19 08 25 10 62
DOBSON 14 07 16 08 45
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - 2 - 2-10 1-2 - 7 2
Thomas - - - - - - - 1
Myles 1 8 1 2-5 0-1 1-2 5 -
Harper 1 3 - 1-2 2-2 3-4 11 -
Helvig 4 6 2 2-6 1-4 4-6 11 2
Reber - 2 - - 0-1 - - 1
Valladolid - - - - - - - 1
Claw - 2 - - - - - -
Bryant 6 - - 0-3 - - - -
Martin 3 6 1 2-5 3-4 0-1 13 1
Crawford - 3 1 2-6 1-2 2-3 9 2
Murrell - 2 - 0-1 - - - 1
Hurd - 1 1 3-4 - 0-2 6 4
TOTAL 15 35 6 14-42 8-16 10-18 62 11
PCT       33% 50% 56%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - SKYLINE ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #19 - January 17, 2012
The Tigers were able to win their 5th game in a row by defeating Skyline by a score of 63 to 29. The Tigers jumped out to a convincing 18 to 3 first quarter lead are were able to push it to a 56 to 26 lead going into the final stanza.

Ten Tigers were able to get into the score book and all the players played fairly well and were able to get significant minutes. Up next for the Tigers is a home game Friday night versus a well-coached Dobson Mustang team led by Coach Rick McConnell who is one of the very best coaches in the state.

Hope to see all the fans supporting the Tigers in "The Jungle" Friday night!

 

TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 18 17 21 07 63
SKYLINE 03 15 08 03 29
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - - - 6-8 0-1 2-2 14 1
Thomas - 1 1 - 1-2 0-1 3 1
Myles 2 7 1 3-4 0-1 - 6 1
Harper 1 1 - 1-2 0-1 - 2 2
Helvig 3 5 1 1-1 2-2 0-2 8 3
Reber - 2 - 1-2 0-1 - 2 1
Valladolid 1 1 - - - - - -
Claw 1 2 1 1-1 - - 2 -
Bryant 2 4 3 0-2 0-1 - - 4
Martin 1 1 1 0-2 2-5 1-2 7 1
Crawford - 4 4 3-3 0-1 3-4 9 1
Murrell - - - - - - - 1
Hurd 3 2 - 1-2 1-2 5-7 10 -
TOTAL 14 30 12 21-37 6-17 11-18 63 16
PCT       57% 35% 61%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - BASHA ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #18 - January 16, 2012
Freddie Lash had waited 360 days for a chance at redemption, and for two quarters, it looked all for naught.

The eighth-ranked Gilbert boys basketball team fell behind No. 2 Basha by nine at intermission, but used a hot-shooting second half to pull off the long-awaited upset, 68-52 in the MLK Basketball Classic on Monday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Lash, Gilbert's senior shooting guard, remembered the 62-35 pasting the Bears handed the Tigers a season ago, something the team used as motivation for this one.

"Last year was one of my worst seasons because we only won eight games," Lash said. "Basha was one of the teams that beat us by, like, 30, so we had to come back at them. I just wanted payback. We were waiting for this game."

It looked like history would repeat itself in the first half, as Maurice Kirby and Jaron Hopkins helped Basha to a 30-21 halftime lead. The Tigers trimmed the deficit to two points heading into the fourth, and finished the final eight minutes on a 23-5 run to cruise to the victory.

Basha didn't score its first points of the fourth quarter until a three-point play from Torren Jones with 3:02 remaining. By that time, Gilbert had a 62-50 lead and the Bears (16-3) never seriously threatened.

"I think we hung our heads a little bit," Basha coach Brad Pinter said. "We got out of the game mentally. Once you get out of the game mentally, then everything starts to fall (apart) for you."

Gilbert hit 18-of-29 shots in the second half and shot 52.8 percent from the field for the contest. Lash led the way with 24 points. Conner Helvig added 10.

Basha struggled mightily in the second half, getting outscored by 25. Hopkins finished with a team-high 14 points, but hit only 6-of-15 shots. Jones (13 points) and Kirby (11) both scored in double figures, but Gilbert's 2-3 zone kept them from dominating inside.

"The plan was to keep Jaron out of the paint and keep the two big men out of the paint," Lash said. "Plug it up and make them shoot jump shots."

Gilbert (13-4) has now won four in a row, including the past three over Mesquite, Highland and Basha all by 15 points or more.

"Our chemistry is just out of the gym right now," Lash said. "I've never felt this confident in the team before."
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 13 08 24 24 68
BASHA 13 17 17 04 52
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - 2 1 8-13 2-4 2-2 24 -
Thomas - - - - - - - -
Myles 2 6 - 3-5 1-1 - 9 -
Harper 1 1 2 2-5 0-1 - 4 2
Helvig 4 1 3 3-6 1-3 1-2 10 1
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw - - - - - - - -
Bryant 10 5 - 2-3 0-1 1-1 5 1
Martin 1 1 - 0-2 2-3 - 6 -
Crawford 1 3 - 2-2 0-2 1-1 5 1
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - - - 1-1 1-1 - 5 -
TOTAL 19 19 6 21-37 7-16 5-6 68 7
PCT       57% 44% 83%    


 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - HIGHLAND ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #17 - January 13, 2012
The Tigers were able to win their third game of the week on Friday night on the road versus their rivals of Highland. The Gilbert - Highland match-up is one of the best rivalries in the state and this year didn't disappoint as the fans packed Highland's gym to see a good basketball game.

The Tigers played a nice opening quarter by taking a 5 point lead and then they coupled that with an even better second quarter to take a 32 to 21 halftime lead. There was not much scoring in the second half as both teams defended and  rebounded well. Gilbert's team defense and specifically Cody Martin played very well all night as he was assigned the task of defending sophomore Jake Toolson who has been Highland's leading scorer all year. Jake was the leading scoring on the night with 13 points. Gilbert's scoring was very balanced again as they were led by Erik Crawford's 12 points and DeAndre Myles' 10 points.

Gilbert plays their next game in the annual MLK Basketball Classic at Wells Fargo Arena on Monday night at 5:30 versus the Basha Bears who are one of the most talented teams in the state. Go to the home page to learn more about the day's events to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 15 17 14 09 55
HIGHLAND 10 11 13 06 40
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 4 1 1 1-7 1-2 1-2 6 1
Thomas - - - - - - - -
Myles 2 4 2 5-7 - 0-1 10 -
Harper 2 2 - 1-2 - - 2 -
 Helvig 2 2 - 2-6 1-2 2-2 9 2
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
 Claw - - - - - - - -
 Bryant 4 2 2 2-5 - 1-3 5 2
Martin 2 3 - 1-3 1-1 3-5 8 1
Crawford 1 1 - 3-5 2-4 - 12 -
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd 1 1 - 1-2 0-1 - 2 1
TOTAL 18 16 5 16-37 5-11 7-13 55 7
PCT       43% 46% 54%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - MESQUITE ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #16 - January 12, 2012
The Tigers played one of their most complete games of the season Thursday night at "The Jungle" by defeating Mesquite by a score of 72 to 55. The game really changed in the 2nd quarter as the Tigers out-scored Mesquite 31 to 15. The Tigers moved the ball well for open shots and those shots were falling which allowed the Tigers to get into their full court defenses.

This was the best shooting night for the Tigers on the season as they connected for 10 three pointers and assisted on 22 of their 26 field goals. Sami Bazi led the Wildcats with 28 points and Fred Lash, Cody Martin and Conner Helvig led the Tigers with 18, 14 and 11 points respectively. Next up for the Tigers is a huge road game at Highland.


 

TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 12 31 14 15 72
MESQUITE 08 15 16 16 55
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - 3 1 3-5 4-6 - 18 -
Thomas - - - - - - - -
Myles 2 5 1 4-4 - - 8 1
Harper 3 1 - 1-2 1-2 1-2 6 -
 Helvig 2 2 2 1-4 2-3 3-4 11 -
Reber - 1 - 0-1 - - - -
Valladolid - 2 - - - 0-1 - -
 Claw - 1 - 1-1 - - 2 -
 Bryant 4 3 - 0-5 0-1 4-6 4 5
Martin 2 4 1 4-8 2-3 - 14 -
Crawford 6 4 1 1-5 1-3 1-2 6 -
Murrell - - - 0-3 - 1-2 1 -
Hurd 3 2 - 1-3 0-1 - 2 -
TOTAL 22 28 6 16-41 10-18 10-17 72 6
PCT       39% 56% 59%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - MARYVALE ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #15 - January 10, 2012
The Gilbert Tigers got back into the winning column with a victory over Maryvale Tuesday night. The Tigers jumped out to a good first quarter by hitting some outside shots and pushing the ball in transition.

In the second quarter the game started to get away from the Tigers a bit as those shots weren't falling and the Tigers committed too many turnovers and breakdowns in defensive transition. At halftime the Tigers wanted to try to continue to push the ball like the first half, but with better effort and concentration on limiting Maryvale's offensive efficiency. The Tigers did much better outscoring Maryvale in the second half by a score of 37 to 20.

Fred Lash led the Tigers with 22 points and Austin Harper and Cody Martin scored in double figures too with 11 and 10 points respectively. Cody also had a really nice floor game with 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Up next for the Tigers is one of our two cross-town rivals at home versus the Mesquite Wildcats.
 

TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 23 14 18 19 74
MARYVALE 08 18 09 11 46
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - 8 3 9-22 1-5 1-3 22 2
Thomas 1 2 1 - - - - -
Myles - - - - - - - -
Harper 2 4 1 3-7 1-3 2-2 11 -
 Helvig 3 4 2 2-5 0-1 2-2 6 3
Reber 1 1 - - - - - -
Valladolid 1 2 - 2-3 - - 4 -
 Claw - 1 - 1-2 - - 2 -
 Bryant 5 6 - 1-8 - 3-4 5 3
Martin 7 7 2 3-5 0-1 4-4 10 -
Crawford 1 4 1 3-10 0-2 3-4 9 2
Murrell - - - 1-2 - - 2 -
Hurd 1 1 - - 1-2 - 3 -
TOTAL 22 40 10 25-64 3-14 15-19 74 10
PCT       42% 21% 79%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - DESERT MOUNTAIN ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #12 - December 28, 2011
The Tigers lost to a tough Desert Mountain team in the semi-finals of the Holiday Hoops Fest at Boulder Creek on Wednesday night by a score of 47 - 41.

Both teams displayed tough defense and DM held a slight 22 - 20 lead at halftime. The Tigers had a nice third quarter as they were able to cause some turnovers and score in transition to take a 3 point lead going into the 4th quarter. Unfortunately the Tigers went absolutely cold from the field in the 4th quarter.

The Tigers worked for pretty good shots, but nothing would drop and that didn't allow the Tigers to get into their full court defenses. The Tigers certainly didn't help themselves either by going 5 - 11 from the free throw line, including missing the front end of a 1 - 1 three times. Desert Mountain made their free throws in the 4th quarter to close out the Tigers.
 

TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 09 11 14 07 41
DESERT MOUNTAIN 16 06 09 16 47
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - 4 3 1-6 2-4 - 8 1
Thomas 2 - 1 0-1 0-2 - - 1
Myles - - - - - - - -
Harper 2 3 1 1-3 1-2 3-5 8 -
 Helvig 2 5 2 0-4 2-4 1-3 7 4
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid 1 4 - - 0-2 0-1 - -
 Claw - - - - - - - -
 Bryant - - - - - - - -
Martin - 5 2 2-6 0-1 1-2 5 1
Crawford 3 4 1 2-7 1-6 - 7 -
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - 6 - 3-4 0-1 - 6 -
TOTAL 10 31 10 9-31 6-22 5-11 41 7
PCT       27% 30% 46%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - GILBERT CHRISTIAN ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #11 - December 27, 2011
The Gilbert Tigers came away with a 58 - 48 victory over Gilbert Christian in the first round of the Holiday Hoops Fest at Boulder Creek high school. The Tigers were executing nicely in the beginning of the game on offense, but their shots just were not dropping. On the defensive end the main focus was to limit Gilbert Christian's big man Conner Patterson, but he pretty much had had his way with 10 first half points.

The Tigers defense was much better in the second half as they were able to not let Patterson score and after being down in the rebounding margin at the break the Tigers were able to win the overall at the end of the game. Offensively, those good looks that didn't drop in the first half started to fall in the second half. Also the Tigers varied their full court defense which caused numerous turnovers. Scoring again was very balanced by the Tigers as 4 Tigers (Conner Helvig, Freddie Lash, Austin Harper and Cody Martin) scored in double figures with 13, 11, 11 and 10 points respectively.

Next up for the Tigers is Desert Mountain coached by Todd Fazio. Desert Mountain is very well coached and play great defense and team oriented basketball. The game is at 5:30 at Boulder Creek HS.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 11 12 16 19 58
GILBERT CHRISTIAN 13 11 13 11 48
PLAYER
 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 1 5 1 4-4 1-2 - 11 2
Thomas 1 3 - 1-3 0-1 - 2 -
Myles - - - - - - - -
Harper 1 - 1 2-5 1-3 4-4 11 1
 Helvig 3 6 - 2-7 1-4 6-7 13 6
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid 2 1 - 0-2 - - - -
 Claw - - - - - - - -
 Bryant - - - - - - - -
Martin 3 6 - 2-5 1-2 3-4 10 1
Crawford 1 7 2 4-10 0-2 0-1 8 -
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd 1 2 - - 1-2 - 3 -
TOTAL 13 30 4 15-36 5-16 13-16 58 10
 PCT       42% 31% 81%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - RED MOUNTAIN ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #10 - December 16, 2011
The Tigers were able to win on the road Friday night against a well coached Red Mountain team by  a score of 64-52. The Mountain Lions were really kicking the Tiger's butts early in the game as it seemed that they were able to get points in the paint and from long distance. At the end of the period the Tigers were down 17 to 12, but it really could of been more. In the second quarter Red Mountain's point guard, Kevin Torres went down with an injury and didn't return and it really changed Red Mountain's chemistry on the court. The Tiger's took advantage and clawed back to tie the game at 27 by halftime.

In the second half the Tigers started out with a three from Cody Martin and it looked like the Tigers were going to pull away, but Red Mountain continued to fight hard and the Tigers fouled repeatedly to put the Lions in the bonus by the end of the third quarter. In the final stanza the Tigers started to string multiple possessions together on both ends of the court to stretch out their lead. The big shot was Cody Martin's three in the corner that put the Tigers up 9 with a couple of minutes left. The Tigers had very good balance in scoring with 3 guys in double figures, including Conner Helvig, Maurice Thomas and Cody Martin with 13, 11 and 10 points respectively. Sophomore point guard, Anthony Bryant, had a very solid game running the offense, taking care of the ball and putting a lot of pressure on the ball defensively causing turnovers.

Next up for the Tiger's is their Holiday tournament at Boulder Creek high school. This tournament fields 8 great teams including one from Chicago and the defending 1A state champs from Gilbert Christian. Go to the homepage to learn more about brackets, dates and times.

Thanks to all the fans who made the road trip to Red Mountain to cheer on the Tigers. Your support is great. Happy Holidays.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 12 15 18 19 64
RED MOUNTAIN 17 10 17 08 52

PLAYER

 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash 1 3 - 1-6 0-1 - 2 2
Thomas 1 3 - 2-8 1-3 4-4 11 1
Myles 1 9 1 3-9 - 3-4 9 1
Harper 2 2 - 2-2 0-3 0-1 4 -
 Helvig 1 4 4 5-7 0-1 3-5 13 2
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
 Claw - - - - - - - -
 Bryant 5 2 5 2-8 - 3-5 7 1
Martin 3 4 5 2-6 2-2 0-1 11 2
Crawford 3 6 - 1-5 1-5 3-4 8 2
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - - - - - - - -
TOTAL 17 33 15 18-51 4-15 16-24 64 11
PCT       35% 27% 67%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - SKYLINE ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #9 - December 15, 2011
The Tigers were able to capture their 4th win in a row by beating Skyline by a score of 47 to 27. It was a struggle for the Tigers on offense as they were able to only score 21 points in the 1st half, but defensively they were able to hold the Coyotes to only 15. The 3rd quarter was even better for the Tigers defensively as they were able to shut out the Coyotes to outscore them 8 - 0.

Eleven Tigers were able to get into the scoring column for the Tigers who were led by DeAndre Myles' 11 points. For the second game in a row DeAndre grabbed 11 rebounds - ten of them  on the offensive end. DeAndre has been an absolute beast on the boards for the Tigers this year.

No time to relax as the Tigers are on the road again Friday night as they play a well coached Red Mountain Lions team. Red Mountain has one loss this year in their preseason tournament in Tucson and has yet to lose a power point game. Hope to see the fans on the road cheering on the Tigers.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 15 06 08 18 47
SKYLINE 07 08 00 12 27

PLAYER

 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - 1 1 0-8 1-1 1-4 4 -
Thomas - 1 - 1-1 - - 2 1
Myles - 11 1 5-13 - 1-6 11 1
Harper 3 2 1 0-2 0-2 2-4 2 1
Helvig 2 5 1 0-3 1-2 0-2 3 3
Reber - - - 0-1 - 2-2 2 -
Valladolid 1 - - 0-1 - - - -
Claw - 2 1 2-4 - 1-2 5 -
Bryant - 3 1 0-2 - 2-2 2 -
Martin 1 2 1 3-8 - 3-3 9 1
Crawford - 5 2 3-10 0-2 - 6 -
Murrell - 1 - 0-1 - 1-2 1 -
Hurd 1 6 - 0-1 - - - -
TOTAL 8 35 9 14-55 2-7 13-27 47 7
PCT       26% 29% 49%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - HIGHLAND ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #8 - December 13, 2011
 by Les Willsey - aia365.com

Gilbert boys basketball coach Jay Caserio's greatest show of emotion Tuesday night came when one of his players drew a charge in the third period of the Tigers game with rival Highland High.

Defense is what excites Caserio and it was Gilbert's effort in that aspect that paved the way to a 69-56 win over Highland at Gilbert.

"We press a little, but mostly we play straight man," Caserio said. "Just enough pressure that we can get back and be set to play. I thought our defense was really good."

Gilbert, which opened the season three weeks ago winning Mesa High's Fear the Hop Tournament, ran its record to 6-2 with its latest win and is now 3-1 in power-point games. The Tigers got enough offense from starters Erik Crawford (21 points) and Conner Helvig (13 points). But perhaps the biggest lift came from players off their bench -- senior guards Deandre Myles and Austin Harper.

Myles and Harper tallied 13 and 10 points, respectively. Myles 10 of his in the second half and Harper all of his after intermission. Harper's contribution was his defense, which of course didn't go unnoticed by Caserio.

"(Harper) has been in our program for four years," Caserio said. "He drew two or three charges. Played really well defensively. Myles helped us on the boards. You can do rebounding drills, try to coach it. He has the instincts. He got some big put-backs for us."

Gilbert took a narrow 30-26 lead to the third period and a very strong stanza defensively separated the teams. The Tigers outscored Highland 17-9 in the quarter and limited the Hawks to one field goal and only five field-goal attempts to go with seven turnovers. That basket went to Highland's leading scorer Jake Toolson, who entered the game averaging just more than 19 points a game. Toolson had 13 points in the first half. A quiet third period from the Hawks main offensive threat didn't help matters. Toolson, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, finished with 2. The final nine points came with the outcome no longer in doubt.

"We had (6-5 Maurice Thomas) on Toolson based on our scouting report," Caserio said. "He got in foul trouble and we had to change. Helvig played him some late in the second quarter and did a good job. We kept him on Toolson. Toolson's the real deal. He made some long threes from the volleyball line that looked like he was shooting free throws."

Highland (3-7) had to fight foul trouble late in the third period. The only other player seemingly in the offensive flow for the Hawks was Imani Washington. Washington finished with nine points, seven in the first half. He went to the bench in the third period with four fouls and eventually fouled out. Toolson did as well in the final minute.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 14 16 17 22 69
HIGHLAND 14 12 09 21 56

PLAYER

 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - - - - - - - -
Thomas - - - - - - - -
Myles - - - - - - - -
Harper - - - - - - - -
Helvig - - - - - - - -
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw - - - - - - - -
Bryant - - - - - - - -
Martin - - - - - - - -
Crawford - - - - - - - -
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - - - - - - - -
TOTAL - - - - - - - -
PCT       -% -% -%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - DESERT RIDGE ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #7 - December 09, 2011
The Tigers were able to avenge their loss to Desert Ridge last Friday by beating them at the Jungle by a score of 45 - 38. It was a grind it out type of a game and both teams offenses were struggling.

The Jaguars came out and took and early lead in the first quarter, but the Tigers were able to claw back within 2 points to end the half. In the third quarter again it looked like the Jaguars might pull away with the game. The Tigers called a timeout after a Maurice Thomas 3 pointer to call out the Tiger's energy on the court. The Tigers responded as they went into the 4th quarter with a 1 point lead.

It was a back and forth affair throughout the 4th quarter until Erik Crawford's 3 pointer followed by DeAndre Myle's offensive rebound put-back gave the Tigers a little cushion to close out the game. The Tigers were led in scoring by Crawford's 17 points. Next game for the Tigers is next Tuesday against their cross-town rival Highland Hawks at home in "The Jungle." Hope to see you there!
 

TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 08 11 10 16 45
DESERT RIDGE 13 08 07 10 38

PLAYER

 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - - - - - - - -
Thomas - - - - - - - -
Myles - - - - - - - -
Harper - - - - - - - -
Helvig - - - - - - - -
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw - - - - - - - -
Bryant - - - - - - - -
Martin - - - - - - - -
Crawford - - - - - - - -
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - - - - - - - -
TOTAL - - - - - - - -
PCT       -% -% -%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - MARCOS DE NIZA ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #6 - December 08, 2011
The Tigers won there first home game of the season by beating Marcos de Niza 74 to 56. The Padres were without Devin White who is one of their best players, but fought hard the entire game.

The Tigers were led in scoring by Crawford, Martin and Lash with 13, 12 and 10 points respectively. The Tigers also won the rebounding margin and played a pretty good game on the defensive end of the court.

No time to relax as the Tigers take on Desert Ridge again as the Jaguars beat the Tigers last Friday with a convincing 79 to 66 score.
 

TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT 13 28 14 15 74
MARCOS DE NIZA 03 21 11 20 56

PLAYER

 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - - - - - - - -
Thomas - - - - - - - -
Myles - - - - - - - -
Harper - - - - - - - -
Helvig - - - - - - - -
Reber - - - - - - - -
Valladolid - - - - - - - -
Claw - - - - - - - -
Bryant - - - - - - - -
Martin - - - - - - - -
Crawford - - - - - - - -
Murrell - - - - - - - -
Hurd - - - - - - - -
TOTAL - - - - - - - -
PCT       -% -% -%    

 

 

.

  
●●● GILBERT - MESQUITE - FEAR THE HOP CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Game #4 - November 26, 2011
It had the feel of an early-season game but Gilbert will take it just the same.

Connor Helvig scored 17 points and Gilbert took advantage of a cold-shooting Mesquite team to beat the Wildcats 51-38 on Saturday night in the championship of the Fear the Hop Tournament at Mesa.

"Trying to get better that's what we are trying to do in this tournament," said Gilbert coach Jay Caserio. "Obviously the win is nice, it's a bonus."

This was not the Mesquite team that beat one of Division I's preseason favorites in Corona del Sol on Wednesday to reach the title game. The Wildcats had seven turnovers in the first quarter, went nearly five minutes of the second quarter without a point and struggled to get the ball to its shooters all night.

"I think Gilbert got us out of sorts a little bit," Mesquite coach John Burns said. "We didn't guard like we wanted to guard and then offensively, they got us out, they guarded they way they wanted to guard. It kind of messed us up a little bit."

The Tigers used a press early on, helping to force some of those early turnovers and sparked an 18-2 run in the second period that gave Gilbert a 30-15 lead at the break.

"It's not really a press to get a lot of steals," Caserio said. "It's really to try and slow teams down and not let them get into their offense. That's really been good for us."

It worked against Mesquite. No one scored in double figures as the Tigers held sharpshooter Sami Bzai to eight points, including two 3-pointers, and Miles Johnson to eight points as well.

Cody Martin added 11 points and Maurice Thomas scored 10 for the Tigers, who beat Hamilton and host-Mesa to reach the championship. That was after being routed by Corona in a preliminary round game on Monday.

"We're trying to play fast right now," Caserio said. "But when teams are getting back and getting into their defense, you need to be able to execute. So we are not doing that very well right now. Defense is what is keeping us in games right now."

Mesquite got by Avondale Agua Fria on Tuesday and then beat Corona 61-50 on Wednesday.

Helvig scored seven points in the key second-quarter stretch while Thomas hit a 3-pointer and then dunked the ball right before the buzzer to give Gilbert all the momentum it needed.

In the third quarter, Mesquite tried a form of a 1-3-1 zone but Caserio had his team play patient, pulling the ball out and waiting for a good shot.

Mesquite pulled within 39-27 after a lay-up by Tre Myles with 5:52 remaining but Gilbert scored the next six points, four by Helvig and the Tigers coasted.
 
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILBERT - - - - -
MESQUITE - - - - -

PLAYER

 ASST REB STL 2PT 3PT FT PTS TO
Lash - - - - -