5A boys hoops: Gilbert rally completes 29-1 championship season
February 25, 2019 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365

It was a long, hard journey Monday night for #1 Gilbert and the team aspect that guides the program persevered to the final buzzer in securing the school's fourth-ever boys basketball title.

Gilbert overcame a 12-point deficit in the third quarter and was sparked in the fourth by a "missing piece" the first three quarters in coming from-behind to edge upset-minded No. 6 Millennium, 38-37, in a battle of Tigers at Wells Fargo Arena.

The win marked Gilbert's first title since 2003. Gilbert (29-1) also won titles in 1985 (4A) and 1962 (2A) and took runner-up in 1970 (2A). Millennium, which led three-fourths of the game, grudgingly settled for a runner-up finish at 22-7 iin coach Ty Amundsen's second year at the helm. Millennium was bidding for the school's second boys hoops crown.

Gilbert coach Jay Caserio, watching his team celebrate after recording ts 27th win in a row, looked back succinctly at his team's makeup in winning its final two games by one point each. Gilbert's only loss this season is to 6A No. 1 seed Pinnacle.

"Well, Carson Towt (13 rebounds) is our best player, and has been all year "Caserio said. "Doc Self is the best leader I've had in 12 years hands down. Not only for this team, but for our school and community. Jake Ehmann, (13 points, 13 rebounds) he's been the guy in the playoffs. He's led us in scoring all four games and quietly has given us almost a double-double average for the year. He was the MVP of this game.

"Having Paul (Maldonado) out there the whole second half allowed us to open up the court. Brycen (Long) played tonight, but wasn't himself. He had a concussion and hurt his back against McClintock and just got cleared to play this weekend. I don't think he scored, but he gave us all he had."

So how did Gilbert manage to prevail overall and overcome a first half plus a couple minutes of the third quarter when 15 turnovers and no points from three-point range stood out on the stat sheet?

The way Caserio described it. Ehmann was the lone offensive spark in the first half netting eight points and keepting Gilbert within striking distance at half, 21-16.

Millennium stretched its lead to 30-18 early in the third while Gilbert struggled especially on the offensive end. Maldonado, who spent 12 minutes of the first half on the bench with two fouls, helped turn the tide staying on the floor in the second half. His presence made the offense whole and by the time the fourth period began Gilbert saw hope.

The "missing piece" arrived in the form of point guard Doc Self. Self, who tormented Millennium in an 11-point regular season win, made 6 of 11 threes that game. Through three periods Monday he was 0 for 4 from three-point range and Gilbert as steam was 0 for 8. Gilbert trailed as the fourth began, 30-23.

In a 40-second span of the quarter -- 6:42 to 6:02 -Self sank back-to-back threes to pull Gilbert within 30-29. Those were the only threes Gilbert made (2 of 13).A Maldonado free throw tied it 30 all and Maldonado added a put back to give Gilbert its first lead since midway through the second quarter.

Millennium tied the game one final time at 32 on a 10-foot jumper by Justus Jackson with 2:46 to go.

Self didn't score again, but with 1:46 left fed post Carson Towt for a dunk and the lead for good, 34-32. Three free throws by reserve guard Tampa Scott and one by Maldonado extended Gilbert's lead to as much as five down the stretch.

Maldonado's free throw made it 38-35 with 8 seconds left. Millennium's Cameron Wilder fired up a desperation three with two seconds left that missed and a putback by Coleman Fields as the buzzer sounded ended the scoring and left the sixth-seed a point shy.

"Millennium did a hell of a job all season," Caserio said. "They are going to be very tough next year with almost their whole team coming back. We're glad to close this out with a win."

Self said his teammates kept his confidence up even though nothing was dropping for him until the final quarter.

"They were on me to keep shooting," Self said. "I knew at some point I was going to make some. We'd come to far to let it slip away."

Millennium has a pair of very talented sophomores in Jackson and DaRon Holmes. Jackson finished with a team-high 8 points and Holmes was next with seven. Holmes, who had three huge games in the tournament coming in, failed to score in double figures only twice all season. Both those were against Gilbert.

Gilbert advances to 5A boys final in exciting fashion
February 18, 2019 by Zach Alvira, Tribune Sports Editor

A defensive battle gave way to an exciting finish Monday night at Arizona State University’s Wells Fargo Arena, as Gilbert High knocked off McClintock, 46-45, in the 5A boys semifinals.

“Who would have thought they would make that shot? Unbelievable,” Gilbert coach Jay Caserio said.

Leading by three points with six seconds remaining in regulation, Gilbert center Carson Towt was fouled and sent to the free throw line with a chance to seal the victory for the Tigers.

Towt’s first free throw went in, giving Gilbert a four-point lead. His second bounced off the rim and into the hands of McClintock guard Donavan Williams, who hit a buzzer-beater from half court to bring the Chargers within one as time expired.

“That’s the type of moment we like, it’s what we prepare for,” said Towt, who had 8 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers. “To end practice every day coach has one of us hit two free throws to send us home. I hit one but thankfully we were up by three.”

Gilbert’s victory over McClintock came in back-and-forth fashion, as team’s traded leads heading into the half and the final two quarters of play.

It began with under two minutes remaining in the second quarter. Lockdown defense in the form of steals and blocked shots from McClintock forward Armani Williams allowed the Chargers to its first lead of the night, 20-19 at the half.

But an 11-0 run to start the third quarter had Gilbert once again in control.

“We just trusted each other,” Gilbert guard Doc Self said. “We had to get back to that. That’s what got us here and helped us the entire season. We got back to that and pulled it out.”

Gilbert maintained its lead until late in the fourth quarter, when yet another impressive run by McClintock gave the Chargers the lead.

But clutch defensive play by the Tigers down the stretch allowed them to retake the lead and ultimately the victory thanks to Towt’s constant repetition at the free throw line.

“Carson is a kid who came to me and wanted to fix his shot, especially at the line,” Caserio said. “He worked really hard and shot hundreds of free throws. He’s gotten to the point where he feels comfortable and it was huge.”

Gilbert advances to the 5A state title game next Monday at Wells Fargo Arena to take on sixth-ranked Millennium, who knocked off second-ranked Apollo in the first boys’ semifinal game of the day.

“We are going to have to defend really hard,” Caserio said of the matchup with Millennium. “We are going to have to win shots. We don’t get this far and win big games if you can’t make some big shots.”

Gilbert's late 1st-half run keys 56-36 win over Williams Field
February 15, 2019 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365

There were early danger signs for 5A boys basketball top-seed Gilbert on Friday night.

Starting 6-foot-7 center Carson Towt headed to the bench with two fouls in the first 2 minutes and 21 seconds of the opening quarter. Add a dismal 2 for 11 shooting quarter to the mix (Williams Field was 1 for 11) and the Tigers could put not distance between them and the Black Hawks.

However, as has been the case all season Gilbert had a remedy for early ills. This time it was senior forward Jake Ehmann and a nifty two-minute close to the first half by the Tigers. That added up to a 56-36 victory at the Jungle.

Gilbert (27-1) and winners of 25 consecutive games, advances to Monday's semifinals at ASU's Wells Fargo Arena to face No. 4 seed McClintock, a 63-59 winner over No. 5 Cactus Shadows. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Gilbert's only loss is to 6A No. 1 seed Pinnacle.

A large crowd on both sides enjoyed the game, but Tigers' fans were raucous after the final buzzer celebrating the boys addition to the semis with the girls hoops team on Monday.

"With Carson getting those two fouls so quick I think we panicked a little bit," Gilbert coach Jay Caserio said. "We ran our offense horribly so it's not wonder we shot so poorly. But Jake was the guy, 100 percent."

The teams played to a 4-4 tie after the first period,- ice-cold shooting as mentioned on both sides. Williams Field (16-11) led for the majority of the second quarter as offenses started to play better. Williams Field was leading 15-13 with 1:51 left in the half when Gilbert made its move. Ehmann, who scored both of Gilbert's first-quarter baskets with mid-range jumpers, took control of scoring more in the second. He made 6 of 6 free throws and a putback to finish the first 16 minutes with 12 points. Ehmann took game-high scoring honors with 16 points.

Gilbert tied it at 15 and built a 19-15 lead with seven seconds left in the half. Williams Field moved up court likely for the last shot of the half. A turnover gave the ball back to Gilbert with 3.2 seconds left. Senior guard Doc Self got the inbounds pass from midcourt and quickly maneuvered for a long three as time it expired. Nothing but net. Tigers 22, Black Hawk 15. A 9-0 run to close the half.

Self's three was an exclamation point and if nothing else allowed Gilbert to regain its equilibrium.

"We executed the offense a little better in the third quarter," Caserio said. "Carson didn't play much that quarter getting his third foul (5:08 left in the quarter). We gradually got the lead to go bigger and closed it in the last quarter."

The victory was Gilbert's third in as many games with Williams Field, all by double digits.

"(Williams Field coach) Erik Kamrath has done an amazing job with their program," Caserio said. "All of the games we had to work hard to win."

Brycen Long, scoreless in the first half for Gilbert, finished with 10. Most came from the free-throw line where the Tigers were 9 of 9 in the opening half and 19 of 25 for the game. Jaeden Bailey led Williams Field with 12 points - eight in the first half.

 

The Tigers opened post season play Wednesday night at home and came away with a well-played win over Marana Mt. View by a score of 66 - 32. The Tigers were pretty sharp defensively all night holding the Mountain Lions to single digit scoring in three of the four quarters. Ending those tough defensive possessions were big rebounds as the Tigers were +16 in the rebounding margin. The Tigers were also very unselfish, passing well and possession after possession worked to find the open man resulting to high percentage shots.

Leading the way in scoring for the Tigers was Jake Ehmann with 16 points while also pulling down 10 rebounds. Doc Self knocked down some nice jumpers and netted 14 points while Carson Towt notched another double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Paul Maldonado was pretty sharp defensively as he was assigned the job of covering Julian Molina who is Marana Mt. View's leading scorer with 18.5 points per game.

Up next for the Tigers is an Elite 8 match-up with a familiar region foe in the Williams Field Blackhawks. This will be third contest between the two schools as the Tigers were able to come away with close, hard fought victories in the first two games. Coach Kamrath's team is balanced, tough and well coached. The Tigers will need to bring their A-game Friday night to be successful. Looking forward to the Goon Squad's support.

 

The Tigers finished up the regular season Tuesday night on the road with a victory over the Maricopa Rams by a score of 70 - 45. On Maricopa's senior night, the Tigers were a little short handed, but to no excuse were not very sharp overall, especially defensively. The first quarter the Tigers played okay winning the quarter 18-8, but it was the lackluster second quarter that frustrated the coaching staff as the Rams outscored the Tigers 21-19 bringing the halftime score to 37 - 29.

The third quarter was much better for the Tigers as they were able to outscore the Rams 24 - 11 with very good ball movement creating high percentage shots. The Tigers were led in scoring by Brycen Long's 18 points, including 16 in the second half. Also scoring double figures were Tampa Scott with 11 points and Carson Towt notched another double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in limited time. The Rams were led by Josiah Jackson's 10 points.

Post season play is up next for the Tigers. The Tigers should hold on to the #1 seeding, but will not know for sure till Saturday as the bracket will be released around 4PM. In fact, both boy's and girl's basketball programs are hosting the AIA Selection Show Saturday at Gilbert which will be a fun experience for our teams and school. The Tigers have earned a first round bye and will play their first playoff game next Wednesday night at 7P in THE Jungle.
 

MacDonald twins make lasting memories in Gilbert's win over Higley
Zach Alvira, Tribune Sports Editor Feb 1, 2019
VIDEOS

It was a surprise Marcus and Isaac MacDonald didn’t see coming.

With Gilbert High’s boys basketball team leading Higley 42-30 late in the fourth quarter, Knights coach Jerome Joseph called timeout and walked over to Tigers coach Jay Caserio.

“I had talked to coach (Caserio) earlier and he had told me what was going on,” Joseph said. “Obviously, when I saw the game was out of hand and there was an opportunity I wanted to give them that.”

Marcus and Isaac, who were honored on senior night ahead Gilbert’s 46-33 win over Higley, ran onto the floor with fellow seniors Carson Towt, Doc Self and Jake Ehmann. Not long after a missed Higley 3-pointer, Marcus had the ball in his hands and drove to the hoop.

“I had to help my brother out on the first one,” Isaac said. “I was definitely excited for that.”

Marcus’ layup went off the backboard and fell into Isaac’s hands, who quickly put up a shot of his own that went in. The crowd erupted as Isaac sprinted down the floor with Towt close behind.

“I started running after him, chasing him,” Towt said. “I thought we were all going to run after him but I was the only one. It was a surreal experience.”

Higley guard Isaiah Eastman quickly hit a 3-pointer on the other end of the floor, leaving 10 seconds on the clock. Marcus, with the ball in his hand again, headed toward the basket. With just seconds remaining, the senior laid it up off the glass for the buzzer-beater. “Yes, I did get swarmed,” Marcus said. “It was a sense of honor, a sense of pride and adversity as well. It was my first two points of my career.”

It’s not uncommon to find Marcus and Isaac cheering on the Gilbert basketball team from the bench during games. But they aren’t normally dressed in the team’s uniform.

The twins were diagnosed at a young age with Autism, a developmental disorder that impairs both communication and social skills. But that hasn’t stopped their love for basketball.

The twins have been around the game their entire life. Marcus and Isaac played basketball until they were 16 years old, learning the game from their father, Neil, who has been the head coach at Corona del Sol since 2015.

Due to the Gilbert school district’s Autism program, Marcus and Isaac attend Gilbert High instead of Corona with their father.

“The easy decision would have been to bring them here with me so I can watch them every day,” Neil said. “But to have them be embraced by that community like they have been for four years, they’ve gone above and beyond for them.”

Marcus and Isaac quickly became Gilbert Tiger super fans, leading the football team out onto the field and pumping up the home crowd at sporting events.

They became managers of the basketball team their sophomore year and quickly became a part of the Gilbert family. So when the idea to let them dress out on senior night came up, the team didn’t hesitate to make it happen.

“They are a part of our family,” Self said. “These guys are incredible. Their hearts are the purest I have ever seen. The joy they have just radiates, you can’t help but be happy when you’re around them.”

Marcus and Isaac were presented their jerseys in the locker room ahead of practice on Thursday. Towt and Self, the two senior captains, instructed them to open a pair of lockers which had the jerseys inside.

It took a second for them to realize exactly what was going on. But when they did, they couldn’t help but celebrate with their teammates.

“They’re true Tigers,” Caserio said. “To be that happy every day, it’s amazing. And for Coach Joseph to make that decision there, to call a timeout and put the MacDonald twins in, that’s a top-notch move right there in terms of respect.”

It was a dream come true for the twins, and one neither of them imagined would happen. Neil and his wife, Annica, were overcome with emotion when Marcus and Isaac stepped onto the floor and scored.

After the game, Neil went into the Gilbert locker room to thank each member of the team for giving his sons that opportunity. He knows it’s a moment that will truly stick with them forever.

“For Higley to give up the ball and give them an opportunity, it’s unbelievable,” Neil said. “I always tell my players the single determining factor that will determine your success is how you treat each other.

“What they did tonight for our boys is remarkable.”

As the top-ranked team in 5A, Gilbert (24-1, 9-0) controls its own destiny to clinch the No. 1 seed in the state tournament. The Tigers, who have already clinched the San Tan region title, travel to take on Maricopa (2-20, 0-10) on Tuesday to close out the regular season.
 

On the night where the Gilbert Tiger basketball program honored the varsity parents, the Tigers played one of their better basketball games of the year, defeating the Campo Verde Coyotes by a score of 66-16. In each of the four quarters the Tigers defense allowed single digit points, including 2 points in both the third and fourth quarters.

Leading the way on the offensive end of the court was Doc Self with 13 points, including three more from long distance. Also scoring double figures was Tampa Scott with 11 points. Tampa was able to knock down threes, get to his pull-up jumper and the free throw line also. Besides scoring Tampa, along with Doc and Jaqwaun, had very nice floor games getting the Tigers into offense and creating shots for their teammates. Carson Towt's scoring was quiet as he was swarmed and double teamed all night, but again, he pulled down double figure rebounds with 15.

Up next for the Tigers is Senior Night as we honor our 6 seniors, players Doc Self, Carson Towt, Adonai Kabash and Jake Ehmann and our two managers Isaac and Marcus MacDonald. Come out Friday night versus Higley at 7P to recognize all the hard work our seniors have put in over the last 4 years.
 

Twenty hours after a thrilling victory over Casteel on Friday the Tigers were back on the road for a rare Saturday contest versus the athletic Central Bobcats. Coach Bustos has been at Central for many years and each year he has a very talented team that poses matchup problems for many teams. The Tigers were very sharp on the afternoon, especially defensively and came away with a 50-28 win.

The story of the game was the Tiger defense holding Central to 14 points in each half. Finishing off most of the game's defensive possessions were Carson Towt rebounds as he pulled down 21 of them to add to his 12 points on the night. Also, defensively, Tampa Scott was on point. For much of the game Tampa covered Central's leading scorer Cinsere West and he and the Tigers held him to 6 points for the game. Beside the good defense, Tampa also chipped in 12 points of his own, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Jake Ehmann was one rebound away from double figure rebounds with 9 overall and nice to see Doc Self find the stroke from long distance connecting on three from downtown on the night, finishing with 9 points.

Up next is a home game versus Campo Verde Tuesday night in THE Jungle. Come out and support your Tigers and honor our parents of the varsity team as it is also Parent Night.


 

No. 1 Gilbert makes late comeback to defeat Casteel
January 26, 2019 by Bradey King, Arizona State University

Playing in front of a full house at the Casteel High School gymnasium Friday night, the Casteel Colts nearly pulled off a major upset before falling to the undefeated and top-ranked Gilbert Tigers, 54-49.

On Jan. 8, Gilbert crushed Casteel, 72-50, but it was a different story on Friday as Casteel built a 23-13 halftime advantage, and did not relinquish the lead until the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter.

At that point, the undersized Colts were in foul trouble and the Tigers used that to their advantage, making 11 free throws in the fourth quarter as they outscored Casteel, 25-15.

Doc Self led the way for the Tigers in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points.

“It was a tough loss,” Casteel coach Brett Huston said. “I felt like we executed the game plan and we did what we need to do to win the game. We just allowed them to get back into game with free throws instead of making them earn shots.”

Fronting the post was a big part of the game plan, and it was successful as the Colts held Gilbert’s 6-foot-7 center Carson Towt to just six points.

Gilbert had a rocky start with 8 turnovers in the first half and after losing one player to an injury in practice the day prior, head coach Jay Caserio said the lineup got all “goofy”.

Yet the Tigers were able to regroup after the half and kept pushing. Gilbert had only two turnovers in the second half.

Another change Caserio made was utilizing sophomore guard Tampa Scott to try and shut down Casteel’s Deven Franks.

“Deven Franks was killing us," Caserio said. "He was getting into the lane, he was hitting shots and he was getting to the free throw line.

“We put Tampa on him in the fourth quarter. He’s a sophomore, but man he’s tough as nails. He’s very confident and I think he changed the game there for about a two-minute stretch.”

Late in the game Scott was able draw an offensive foul on Franks, who had already picked up three early fouls in the first quarter and had to sit out for a while.

“I’m definitely confident with the ball,” said Franks, who finished with a team high 14 points, “but I trust in my teammates that even if I’m not in the game, we’re going to compete.”

Though the loss stung, Franks called it a “confidence booster” for Casteel, and his head coach agreed.

“I think this showed us that we’re capable of playing defense against anybody,” Huston said. “Coming into this game we really questioned ourselves on the defensive end, and I think after this game we don’t. We’re starting to come together at the right time.”
 

Gilbert rolls on with 48-38 win over Williams Field
January 22, 2019 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365

It's hard to know who the standout will be night to night for Gilbert's boys basketball team. The Tigers don't know who it will be and frankly they don't care. Someone always steps up at a key time or a full game on this unselfish squad.

Junior guard Paul Maldonado guided a second-quarter comeback that helped put No. 2 Gilbert back in front and in control leading the Tigers to a 48-38 victory over No. 8 Williams Field in a 5A San Tan Region game at The Jungle.

Gilbert won its 20th game of the season and 18th in a row as it closes in on the San Tan Region title. Gilbert is 20-1 overall, 13-0 in power-ranking games and 6-0 in region. Williams Field has played Gilbert tougher than anyone in the region thus far, but owns a pair of double-digit losses nonetheless. Williams Field is 11-10 overall, 9-5 prg and 3-3 in region play.

Jake Ehmann was Gilbert's top scorer with 14 points and Maldonado was right behind with 13. Maldonado unknown to him, was bidding to be the Tigers' fifth player to lead the team in scoring in each of the last five games. Carson Towt, Doc Self, Ehmann and Brycen Long had the honors the previous four.

Maldonado played with more energy than any player on the floor in this one. He scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half -- including a pair of threes in the second period. Those clutch hoops combined with the Tigers' best quarter of the game (outscoring Williams Field 14-2) reversed an 18-11 first-period deficit.

"Paul had a nice game and did a lot for us," Gilbert coach Jay Caserio said. "He took the ball hard to basket and created shots for other guys. Probably had three or four assists, maybe more. He did most of the work guarding Plewe who hurt us early with his shooting."

Plewe led Williams Field with 14 points and hit for 10 of those in the opening period. He didn' score in the second quarter. Gilbert improved its five-point halftime lead to 39-32 after three quarters Williams Field's Tanner Crawford scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to pull the Black Hawks within five, but they never got closer.

"Williams Field has a nice team," Caserio said. "They have two bigs that start and a third that gives them some muscle. They have a point guard that's a shot maker and they can shoot from outside. They are tough to defend. Both games with them we've had to scrap in the fourth quarter to win or hold a lead."

Gilbert can move closer to sewing up the region title on Friday on the road with Casteel. Williams Field hosts Maricopa on Friday and will work to stay in the top 8 of the power rankings the rest of the way.
 

The Tigers had a home affair with the Rams of Maricopa Friday night and played very well, especially offensively as they cruised to a 101 - 34 victory. The 101 points scored ranks third in the record books for the Tigers and hasn't been done in 31 years as the 1986 Tigers did it twice by beating Independence 100 - 53 and Alchesay 103 - 73.

The Tigers were really on point Friday night scoring 34 points in the first quarter and 32 in the second quarter to finish with 66 at the break. Many of those baskets were assisted (25 on the night) including 7 from Paul Maldonado who finished with 8 assists for the game. Brycen Long was the main guy at the end of those nice passes in the first quarter as he connected on 17 points and a game high 26 points on the night. Also scoring double figures for the Tigers was Carson Towt with 19, Doc Self with 13 and Taylor Baldwin's career high of 12 points. Carson Towt also notched another double-double with 12 rebounds and added 5 assists. In the loss, Maricopa's senior captain and point guard Walter Greer was impressive in the loss scoring 12 points and doing it in a variety of ways, hitting threes, coast to coast layups and mid-range shots.


The Tigers now turn to the San Tan Region opponents for the second time starting with hosting the Williams Field Blackhawks in the THE Jungle on Tuesday night. Hope to see all the fans pulling for your Tigers down the home stretch!

 

The Tigers had their second of back to back road games Tuesday night at Higley HS and were able to come away with an impressive 68-19 win. The Tigers, defensively, were as good as they have been all season. On offense, the Tigers were aggressive, but at the same time shared the ball well and took what the coaching staff thought were great shots.

The game started well as the Tigers were able to cause the Knights to call a timeout when they went up 13-0 and finishing the quarter up 19-5. Even with Carson Towt and Brycen Long sidelined in the second quarter with foul trouble the Tigers were able to continue their ways, defending, hitting the glass and sharing the basketball creating open looks, including a buzzer beating three pointer by Jaqwaun Myles right before the half ended. In fact 10 of the 12 players for the Tigers were able to get into the scoring column Tuesday night led by Jake Ehmann and Brycen Long as both scored 14 points apiece.

The defense was solid all night long, in fact the Tigers only gave up 3 points in the second half, including zero points in the final stanza. Up next for the Tigers is a home game Friday night in THE Jungle at 7P versus the Maricopa Rams. Maricopa is coached by Tony Fuller who was a head coach at San Diego State University and Pepperdine University years ago. Coach Fuller's teams are always well coached and play tough minded.

 

The Tigers had a road affair last Friday night at Campo Verde and were able to come away with a hard fought win versus the much improved and well coached coyotes by a score of 54 - 44. Campo Verde played extremely well, tough on defense, rebounded well and shared the basketball for good shots. The Tigers really had a tough time getting quality possessions, were limited on the glass and didn't convert points from their defense. Going into the half the Tigers held a slim 1 point lead.

The best quarter of the game for the Tigers was the third and out-scored Campo Verde 20-9 as the ball and points were spread around to multiple Tigers. The Coyotes out-scored the Tigers by 2 points in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers were able to put together quality possessions and getting to the free throw line and for the most part, knocking them down. The Coyotes were led in scoring by their impressive looking senior forward, Ben Langford with 12 points. The Tigers scoring was well spread out and were led by Doc Self's 11 points and an impressive 8 rebounds. Carson Towt notched another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Tampa Scott played a very well rounded game for the Tigers, controlling the pace, making free throws and disrupting on defense.

 

The Tigers got back to action after the Holiday tournament Tuesday night with a home contest versus the Casteel Colts. The Colts came into the game with an impressive 13-4 record with most of their losses coming when a variety of key players being injured. The Colts, coached by GHS grad Brett Huston, are very well coached and very skilled at the guard positions which made basketball life difficult for the Tigers, especially in the 3rd quarter cutting the lead to 4 points. The Tigers were able to dig in though and execute fairly well in the 4th quarter to win by a score of 72-50.

The Tigers executed the game plan pretty good, getting the ball inside to Carson Towt and Jake Ehmann and the Colts really brought a lot of defensive attention their way, which ultimately led to some perimeter baskets by Doc Self and Brycen Long in the first half. The third quarter the Tigers got in a funk offensively, mainly due to Casteel's well played offense, including Deven Franks scoring 9 of his 16 points. The Tigers really didn't have an answer for Deven until Jaqwaun Myles covered him and being able to slow him down a bit in the 4th quarter.

When the Colts cut the Tiger lead to 4 points the Tigers did a good job of not panicking and rather than play hero ball, they stuck to their way of playing together and through the offense, which led to baskets spread out by multiple Tigers. Casteel then had to get into some full court presses, but the Tigers knifed through well for easy baskets to pull away. Four Tigers scored double figures, including Doc Self with 11 points, Jake Ehmann with 12 points, Brycen Long with 15 points and leading the way was Carson Towt's 21 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists.

Next up is an away game at Campo Verde Friday night with the Freshmen starting at 4:00 PM, JV at 5:30 PM and the Varsity at 7:00 PM. Hope to see the Gilbert faithful out to support!