After earning the #5 seed and a bye in the initial ‘play in’ round of the 4A conference State Playoffs, the Cactus Shadows boys basketball squad was faced with a rematch of the #12 seed Tempe Buffaloes from a previous Falcons win in December. The visiting Buffaloes clearly came in with intentions of an upset, and virtually lead the entire game until the early part of the 4th quarter, and the Falcons found a way to hang on and win, 65-60, and advance to the Elite 8 of the State bracket.
It was a tight game in the 1st half, with the Falcons trailing 14-10 after the 1st quarter, and 28-25 at halftime. Tempe started fast in the 3rd, with a quick 6-0 run, pushing the lead to 34-25, and the Falcons faithful getting a little anxious. CSHS got a quick lift with back-to-back threes from Junior Sam Goulet, but Tempe bounced right back with a mini run to push their lead to 10 points, 41-31 with 3 ½ minutes to play in the 3rd. With the season on the line, in a playoffs atmosphere not to be mistaken for a regular season game, the Falcons battled back to climb within 2 points at the end of the 3rd quarter, 48-46.
In a key stretch, that may have ultimately decided the game, Cactus Shadows scored the first 6 points of the 4th quarter, to take a 52-48 lead, with 6 minutes to go in the game. This seemed to set the tone for the remainder of the game, as the Falcons were patient in their offensive possessions, getting good shots and drawing fouls to keep a slim lead, and maintain control of the game. In the final minute of the game, Goulet hit a running floater, and Junior CJ Nnorom hit 4 clutch FT’s to preserve the playoff win and advance to the next round on the road against a hot Moon Valley team.
Leading contributors for the Falcons were Goulet (21 points 5 rebounds), Junior Jake Benci (16 points, 5 rebounds), Nnorom (10 points, 5 rebounds), Senior Julian Johnson (8 points, 5 assists), and Junior Duncan Hearn (8 points, 9 rebounds).
