PHOENIX — Defense and rebounding carried Pima to a 36-26 victory over Fountain Hills in the 2A Boys Semifinals on Feb. 26 at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Roughriders never trailed, leading for 30 minutes, 47 seconds and holding the Falcons without a 3-pointer in 13 attempts. Pima built a 10-4 lead after the first quarter, took a 13-8 edge into halftime and extended the margin to 27-17 after three.
Charles Richardson led Pima with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added 10 rebounds. Keegan Corona finished with nine points and five assists, while Stratton McRae contributed six points and nine boards. Tanner Smith added five points and four assists, and Joel Mattice grabbed 10 rebounds as the Roughriders won the rebounding battle 36-20.
Pima turned 15 Fountain Hills turnovers into 15 points and held a 12-3 advantage in second-chance scoring. The Roughriders also edged the Falcons 6-2 in fast-break points.
Ahren Lloyd paced Fountain Hills with 11 points, and Gavriel Pikar added eight. The Falcons shot 12 of 34 from the field.
Pima advances to the 2A state championship game at 11:15am on Saturday to face North Valley Christian, who beat Pima in the Copper tournament.
