The Newspaper of Record since 1878

Tigers win Copper Cities tournament in five games

Posted

The Globe Tigers won the Copper Cities tournament in five straight games.

Globe beat Ray 92-72 in the first game on Thursday, Dec. 27. In the second game they demolished Scottsdale Prep 85-62. On Friday, they were victorious over St. Johns, 87-53, and San Pasqual, 102-61.

On Friday came the championship game and pool games, which pitted the first-place team in the A pool against the first-place team in the B pool The second-place team in the A pool played the second-place team in the B pool and so on.

But only the winners of each pool placed in the tournament. In the end, there was only the winner and the runner up. Globe and Coolidge were winners in their pools, so they played for the championship on Saturday.

After four games in two days going full bore, the Tigers weren’t quite so showy against a 3A team as they were against weaker teams. It was a slog for the whole game.

Coach Simmons said it was ugly — in the first quarter the Tigers shot 28 percent — but he was proud of his team for the way they stuck it out to garner the 68-62 win.

At times the game proceeded like winter water polo or basketball on ice, with tired, players on both teams diving and sliding and tripping. The game started much like the Scottsdale Prep game on the first day of the tournament.

Daniel Widner tipped to ball to the far end of the court. B.J. Burries chased it down and attempted a shot from two yards beyond the three-point line. But the ball bounced off the hoop, which foreshadowed the rest of the game.

Coolidge was five points ahead with a two-point and a three-point basket in the first minutes. Burries and Widner made up the deficit. Four hard-won free throws by Burries, two free throws and a basket by Widner put the Tigers ahead by one with 3:13 left in the quarter.

Coolidge answered with a two-point basket and the Tigers were again behind by one. Burries’ three-point attempt failed, and Coolidge got the rebound but lost the ball. Then Julius Chee made a 3 pointer to give Globe a two-point lead (12-10) with two minutes left in the quarter.

That lead lasted until Seth De La Rosa put in a three for Coolidge to make the score 12-13. Burries drew a shooting foul and made one of two free throw attempts to tie the game again (13-13). The Bears scored to put the Tigers behind until Burries came back with a three for a Tiger lead of 16-15.

After a bit of basketless running and gunning, Nick Harrison put in a 3-pointer for Coolidge to put them ahead by two points, 16-18. The second quarter belonged to the Tigers, as Burries began hitting and racked up 13 points.

Julius and Cory Chee contributed a basket each. De La Rosa, who tore up the first quarter for Coolidge with three 3-point baskets, was reduced to one 2-pointer. And Coolidge 3-point master, Nick Harrison only put in one.

The third quarter started with Globe up by six, 33-27, but was the property of Harrison, who scored five 3-pointers, helped along by Kalee Moore’s three 2-pointers and one by Guadalupe Perkins.

Globe managed 13 to Coolidge’s 23 points, starting the fourth quarter four points down at 46-50. B.J. Watkins increased the Bears’ lead to six, 46-52.

But the Tigers had more than seven minutes to take the lead after playing three quarters of catchup. In a mid-court scramble, Globe’s B.J. pushed Coolidge’s B.J. down, diving for the ball and Watkins rolled back and banged his head on the floor.

The Bears got the ball but were unable to convert. Widner got the ball to Burries who made the layup, but the Tigers were still four points behind, 48-52, and the Bears were not finished.

Harrison put in a three, setting the Tigers seven points back, 48-55.

Burries sank a three to make the score 51-55. Then Watkins answered with a 3-point basket of his own. Score: 51-58 with five minutes left and Coolidge holding the lead.

Then Burries came back and thrilled the crowd with an absurdly long 3-pointer to make to score: 54-58. Coolidge scored from near the free throw line to bring Globe’s deficit back to six. Score, 60-54.

Burries missed two long shots, but the Bears couldn’t convert their subsequent possession, Chee got the rebound, and Brandon Pina put in a 3-point basket to make up three of the six points Globe needed to tie the game.

Watkins put in a basket, back to minus five for Globe and the minutes were winding down.

Globe’s attempt fizzled, but Chee intercepted Coolidge’s long pass down court and drove up the far side. But his pass to Widner was deflected out. Tiger ball on Tiger Baseline. Pass in to Widner to Chee for the basket. Score: 59-62 with 3:39 left in the game.

Fortunately, Coolidge failed to score again in the 3:25 left in the game.

Globe’s Aaron Smith put in a 3-pointer to tie the score at 62. Pina and Chee ganged up on a Bear as he entered the key, but not as he was shooting. Bear ball with 2:37 left.

The Bears shot and Chee got an important rebound. But the Tigers came up empty on their possession. Chee passed in to Aaron Smith under the basket. He put the Tigers ahead by two, 64-62.

Frenzied attempts were made by both sides going into the last minute and a half of the game.

Coolidge was called for traveling and Watkins took another fall, ball with Globe.

Watkins gave Burries a push from behind with intention perhaps in retaliation for a push Burries had given him. Burries came twirling in for a basket and drew the foul.

After he picked himself up, he calmly sank both free throws to make the score 66-62, Globe.

Coolidge took a timeout with 55 seconds left, but play was sloppy in their possession, and Globe’s defense was ferocious.

A Coolidge 3-point attempt bounced off the basket into the hands of Julius Chee for Globe. With 25 seconds left, Chee was fouled but it was not a shooting foul.

The Bears tried fouling again as Globe took the ball in, but their target Widner sank another point to bring the score to 67-62.

Burries was fouled with 3.6 seconds in the game. He made only one of two free throws but attained the final score of 68-62.

Globe plays Miami Jan. 12 San Carlos High School at 7 p.m. The JV girls at 2:30, JV boys at 4, and the Varsity Girls at 5:30 p.m.