Cheat sheet for the Semifinals

Right now Brophy (20-7) is red-hot and on a season-best six game winning streak after upsetting No. 3 North High in the quarterfinals. Read about that game here. In the first round, head coach Mr. Tony Fuller achieved his first career playoff victory against No. 11 Cesar Chavez. Read about that game here. Fuller is on the verge of guiding the Broncos to their first ever state championship in basketball. The last time Brophy made it to the semifinal round it was 2004, and they lost to Mesa.

The No. 2 Mesa Jackrabbits (21-5), who won the Fiesta Region, defeated the Broncos twice during the regular season. In fact, the last time Brophy lost, it was Jan. 28 at Mesa. On the path to the semifinal, Mesa defeated No. 15 Tuscon and No. 7 Mountain Pointe in a couple of close games.

The winner of this game will play the winner of No. 1 Buena (Sierra Vista, AZ) and Mesa Mountain View at 8PM Friday at Jobing.com arena. I would of preferred not to have back-to-back games, but the AIA is probably trying to cut travel costs. Buena has not gotten respect all season long because they are isolated from most of Arizona and they haven't played many 5A-I teams. Not too long ago the Toros three-peated. From 2005 to 2007, Mesa Mountain view won all three championships.

Key Player to Watch: This one's fairly obvious, it's 5'10 170 PG Jahii Carson. Carson is regarded as the top high school player in Arizona. Carson leads 5A-I with 30.7 points/game, which is almost half of their team's total. In the quarterfinals Carson defeated his former team, Mountain Pointe. He has signed to play basketball at Arizona State and can dunk fairly easily despite the fact that he's 5'10.

Brophy avenges prior playoff defeat, advances to semis

Brophy 69
North 61

By Justin Janssen ’11
THE ROUNDUP

With the score knotted at 61 and just more than a minute to play Feb. 26, Sai Tummala ’11 buried a long jump shot against North (24-5) propelling Brophy’s basketball team (20-7) to the semifinals.

“I had to hit that shot,” Tummala said. “It’s on my team, I got a great pass (from Chris Pierre ’11).”

The Broncos scored 10 unanswered points in the final two minutes of the game and walked out of North High School’s gym with a 69-61 win.

In the previous postseason, North defeated Brophy in the first round, and the Mustangs captured their second consecutive state championship.

The tables turned when heralded North center Alan Williams got into foul trouble in the first half.

Williams played only six minutes in the first half, and the Broncos led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter.

Tummala scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the half, but then sat out almost the entire third quarter after picking up his third foul and a technical foul.

The Mustangs took a 46-43 lead late in the third quarter, but Michael Hauser ’13 sunk a three, and North’s largest lead of the second half evaporated.

James Harper ’12 scored 14 points and ensured a victory by a signature slam dunk, putting the Broncos up 67-61.

Pierre scored 11 points and assisted on six other shots, while point guard Fred Gammage ’12 scored 14 points.

“It’s a great win, we played some great defense,” said Brophy head coach Mr. Tony Fuller.

After defeating North, Brophy takes their season best six-game winning streak to Jobing.com arena to play Mesa March 3.

The Jackrabbits, winners of the Fiesta Region, defeated Brophy twice during the regular season.

Quarterfinals Cheat Sheet

Brophy's basketball team (19-7) gets a tough draw with the No. 3 North Mustangs (24-4).

North is two-time defending state champions; in 2009 they won the 5A-II crown, and last year earned the 5A-I title.

Brophy is on a season-high five game winning streak, but that is pale in comparison to North's current 15 game streak.

This quarterfinal game is a rematch of last year's first round playoff matchup, when North survived 56-54. Read recap here.

The Mustangs also won the regular season matchup between the two schools. Read recap here.

Key Player to Watch:

There's really no question about who this is, it's center Alan Williams 6'7 260. First off his size is a matchup problem, he's 55 pounds heavier than anyone on Brophy's roster (excluding Rodrigo Furtado '11, but he's injured.) Some stats for Williams: scores 22.6 points (3rd in 5A-I), grabs 16.5 rebounds (13th in nation) and blocks 4.3 shots a game (leads 5A-I).

Basketball earns first playoff victory in five years

Brophy 61
Cesar Chavez 54

By Justin Janssen ’11
THE ROUNDUP

Fred Gammage ’12 scored nine of his team-high 12 points in the first quarter and Brophy (19-7) held on for a 61-54 victory Feb. 23 vs. Cesar Chavez (22-6) in the first round of the playoffs.

“We feel lucky and we’re happy to win,” said Brophy head coach Mr. Tony Fuller, who won his first playoff game with Brophy. “It was a little sloppy because of the long layoff, but we’ll take it.”

Brophy had not played since Feb. 11, but they are riding a season-high five game winning streak.

After a highly-contested first quarter, an 11-0 second quarter spurt put Brophy ahead for good, 30-20 with five minutes remaining before halftime.

On the other end of the half, the pace of the game slowed. Chavez outscored the Broncos 9-8 in the quarter.

Brophy’s defense held Cesar Chavez to their second lowest scoring output of the season; the Champions had entered play as the highest scoring team in 5A-I.

In the fourth quarter Chavez started chipping away by pulling to within two points on three different occasions.

Time ran out for Chavez and Brophy hit a couple late free-throws to ice the game.

Garron Scoon ’12 scored eight points off the bench while playing heavy minutes after not receiving much game-action all season.

Sai Tummala ’11 scored seven points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while James Harper ’12 added 10 points, including a highlight-worthy slam dunk.

Jason Williams led the Champions with 13 points, while Kenny Melvin and Alex Worthen-Harris each scored 12.

With the victory, Brophy advances to the quarterfinals to play at North High Feb. 26.

North eliminated the Broncos last season in the first round during their state championship run.

Playoff basketball returns home- Chavez Cheat Sheet

By Justin Janssen '11

Under head coach Mr. Tony Fuller, Brophy has as many playoff victories (0) as home playoff games (0).

Albeit none of the matchups Mr. Fuller has had were very favorable.

In 2007, his first season, and in 2010, last year, the Broncos lost to the eventual state champions on the road in the first round (Mesa Mountain View and North). In 2008 Brophy missed the playoffs, while in 2009 Brophy was at a severe disadvantage by driving 3 to 4 hours to play Buena (Sierra Vista, AZ).

Brophy (18-7, 7-3 Fiesta Region) returns to the friendly confines of Robson Gymnasium, home of "The Sixth Man", for the first time since the spring of 2005 to play the Cesar Chavez Champions.

Cesar Chavez (22-5) leads 5A-I in scoring with 75.6 points/game, which is significantly more than Brophy (58.9 points/game).

The Champions could almost call themselves that last season, but Chavez was upended in the title game vs. North 71-66.

Key Player to Watch:

No. 14 G Jason Williams (not the NBA player): I'm not sure how accurate his maxpreps.com stats are because they only go through the end of 2010 (14 games), but he leads 5A-I in assists and steals per game (7.1 and 3.9). He's a small guard (5'10, 170), but both of Brophy's starting guards are his height as well. Williams averages 13 points and 6 rebounds a game as well.

FINAL 5A-I Power Rankings and Playoff Matchups

By Justin Janssen '11

1. Mesa *(19-5, 5-2 vs. Top 10) - I'll admit it: I'm in love wit ASU-commit Jahii Carson (on the left). He's just 5'10, but he leads the state in scoring (31 points/game). Mesa has played a tough schedule and has steamrolled their Fiesta Region competition, which is considered the best in the state.

2. North *(23-4, 3-2 vs. Top 10) - North is the two-time defending champions and they've defeated No. 1 Mesa this year, but I still have the Mustangs at the second position. Led by Alan Williams in the post with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks a game. Still, North has two head-scratching losses to Central. Have won 14 consecutive games.

3. Mesa Mountain View (23-3, 3-2 vs. Top 10) - The Toros have quietly strung together an impressive season. Beat No. 6 Buena, No. 4 Corona Del Sol, and No. 9 Chavez.

4. Corona Del Sol *(21-5, 3-2 vs. Top 10) - There hasn't been a lot of hype surrounding the Aztecs outside of Calean Robinson, but they've played solid basketball all season long. Center Andrus Peat is generating buzz in recruiting for football as an offensive tackle.

5. Brophy Prep *(18-7, 2-5 vs. Top 10) - Brophy has been on an even-keel all season; they haven't lost back-to-back games and they are 18-3 vs. anyone outside the top 5. Center Sai Tummala leads team with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game; Tummala can also shoot from downtown. The Broncos look to get past the first round for the first time in a while.Their rival St. Mary's missed the playoffs.

6. Buena (22-5, 2-2 vs. Top 10) - this Buena bunch is located close to the Mexican border, but is going to hold home court throughout the playoffs based off an 18-0 power rankings record. Because they are isolated from society, Buena only had to play two 5A-I schools (Tucson and Salpointe Catholic), while whipping up on the schools of lower classifications. They've won 13 games in a row, but struggled in a tournament vs. 5A-I competition over winter break.

7. Mountain Pointe (20-6, 1-1 vs. Top 10) - The Pride have caught steam before the playoffs, capturing victories in 13 of their last 14 games. They've whipped up on the 5A-II league during their streak. Led by center Tylor Wimbish and guard Jerome Garrison, each averaging 18 points a game.

8. Salpointe Catholic *(21-6, 2-3 vs. Top 10) - The Lancers are similar to Buena in that they are forced to beat up on lower division schools because of their Tucson location. The only difference is that Salpointe Catholic lost twice to Buena and looked offensively- challenged when they came to Brophy.

9. Cesar Chavez (22-5, 0-2 vs. Top 10) - After peaking to No. 2 in The Arizona Republic's power rankings, No. 3 Mountain View blew out the champions (that's really their team name.) Chavez has an up-tempo offense scoring 75 points a game (highest on this top-10 list.)

10. Desert Vista* (20-8, 4-4 vs. Top 10) - After winning 13 of 14 games earlier in the season, the Thunder appear to be fading, losing five of their last 11, including blowout defeats to Brophy Prep and Corona Del Sol. Forward Danny Powell carries the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.

Desert Vista players Jeff Lowery and Danny Powell

* = Seen play

First Round Playoff Matchups (based on power points)

Formula is .45(wins) + .50(opponents wins) + .05(opponents opponents wins)

--------------------------------

Games Played

All Games played at the higher seed Wednesday Feb. 23 at 7PM

No. 1 Buena vs. No. 16 Kofa

No. 2 Mesa vs. No. 15 Tucson

No .3 North vs. No. 14 Red Mountain

No. 4 Mountain View vs. No. 13 Mesquite

No. 5 Corona Del Sol vs No. 12 Desert Ridge

No. 6 Brophy vs. No. 11 Cesar Chavez

No. 7 Mountain Pointe vs. No. 10 Hamilton

No. 8 Salpointe Catholic vs. No. 9 Desert Vista

Brophy articles from around the internet for your four-day weekend

• Brophy tops Hamilton for 5A-I boys soccer championship. By Jose E. Garcia/The Arizona Republic
• Soccer fights their way to state championship. By Ian Beck '12 and Michael Moroney '13 (THE ROUNDUP)
  
• JV Basketball coach Hooten ignites fire within players. By Jackson Santy '13/THE ROUNDUP
  
• Concussions becoming all too common trend in student-athletes. By Eric Villanueva '11/THE ROUNDUP
• Track hopes to speed straight to the top with mix of young, veteran athletes. By Julian Ocampa/THE ROUNDUP
  
• Soccer tournament changes coming? By Mark Keller/East Valley Tribune
• Bravo brings Bronco spirit in all that he does. By Ian Beck '12/THE ROUNDUP

My editor won't let me comment on "The Roundup" articles, so I'll talk about them here.

1. I've noticed that when coaches lose to Brophy, they become bitter. Yuma Kofa coach Jamie Nicewander said, "There's no shame in losing to a private school." Hamilton's coach Nicholas Markette said, "I think everyone would say we play as a group. They (Brophy) have a bunch of superstars. We'll take playing as a group. That's us."

2. It's an amazing feat to be on a championship team, and for a couple of the players, to be on two of them is phenominal. Brophy survived a slew of close calls; their last three wins were by a goal, but the Broncos perservered.

3. I've had Mr. Hooten as a US History teacher in my junior year. He's who I would look to to lead a basketball team. When Mr. Hooten talks, people listen; before Brophy he worked with the teach for america.

4. Concussions are oft-occuring and recently there has been movement by the NFL and the AIA to prevent players from receiving multiple concussions (by having them sit out for longer periods of time.) As long as football is played, players will still get them.

5. Led by Tommy Williams '11, Will Firth '11, Devon Allen '13, and Harry Danilevics '10, Brophy finished fourth at the state meet, which was third in the region. Allen set multiple team sprinting records as a freshman. Williams won the state meet last season in the mile with Firth close behind.

6. I like playing home soccer playoff games; the argument that the casual fan will go to a playoff game is not valid because the only fans there were of the two schools. In the first two rounds at Reach 11, 0$ was charged so the AIA is making 0$ from those games. True, there might be better officials, but even at the state game people from both fanbases were yelling at the men officiating the game.

7. Flavio Bravo '12 has been the mascot for awhile and he brings the energy when he gets in the Brophy suit. He is well-liked and respected amongst his peers.

Final Brophy Basketball Stats

Rapidly, the basketball season is coming to a close. It seems like days ago, I was at Mountain Pointe football witnessing a heartbreaking loss 13-12 that boiled down to the kicking game, Brophy's achilles heel.

Just yesterday - literally - the futbol squad earned their second championship in four years. But this post is not about football or futbol; it's about the conclusion of Brophy's regular season.

Luckily, there won't be any drives to Chandler ahead.

They probably won't go one-and-done, like the last two seasons because they have a home playoff game ensured and a favorable matchup looming.

Brophy head basketball coach Mr. Tony Fuller would probably hate me for keeping stats. "The whole is greater than parts of the sum" Mr. Fuller would say. Anyway, I don't think he reads this blog, I haven't told him about GameDay with JJ, so I'll post the stats for the 18-7 (7-3 Fiesta Region) Broncos. These were taken for 10 of the games, so they're not perfect.

C Sai Tummala '11 6'7 175 (walk on at Michigan) - 17.7 points/game, 8.3 rebounds/game, 1.3 assists/game, 0.6 steals/game, 2.2 blocks/game.

PG Fred Gammage '12 5'10 155 (also plays QB/WR in football) - 10.1 points/game, 3 rebounds/game, 3.9 assists/game, 1.6 steals/game.

SG Chris Pierre '11 5'11 160 - 9.4 points/game, 2.9 rebounds/game, 3.5 assists/game, 1 steal/game.


My favorite photograph of coach Tony Fuller
Photo by Mr. Mulloy/THE ROUNDUP

F/G James Harper '12 6'4 185 - 7.6 points/game, 4 rebounds/game, 1 assist/game, 1.1 steals/game.

PF Rodrigo Furtado '11 6'2 220 (dislocated elbow Feb.5 - potentially out for season) - 7.3 points/game, 5 rebounds/game, 1 assists/game, 0.8 steals/game, 0.5 blocks/game.

F Jordan Medl '12 6'4 205 - 4.3 points/game, 3.6 rebounds/game, 0.9 assists/game, 1.1 steal/game.

Brophy basketball hitting their stride in time for playoffs

Brophy 67
Chandler 56

By Justin Janssen '11
THE ROUNDUP

The Brophy Broncos (18-7, 7-3 Fiesta Region) concluded their regular season Feb. 11 by feasting on another region foe in the Chandler Wolves (8-17, 1-9 Fiesta Region) with a 67-56 win.

The two teams are headed in opposite directions; the Broncos won their fourth straight game and eight of 10, while Chandler has lost nine straight games.

"We're playing our best basketball right now," said Brophy basketball coach Mr. Tony Fuller. "The team is looking forward to the playoffs."

Sai Tummala '11 paved the way for Brophy on both sides of the court by scoring a game-high 24 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and rejecting four shots.

Jordan Medl '12, filling in for an injured Rodrigo Furtado '11 at the power forward position, scored eight points and collected nine rebounds.

Brophy never trailed, but Chandler kept hanging around by forcing the Broncos into turnovers in the backcourt.

The first half of the game was slow-paced and produced little scoring; Brophy led 24-17 at halftime.

After Mr. Fuller called timeout with the game approaching halftime and the margin four points, the Broncos went on a 15-6 run extending into the fourth quarter.

Chandler pulled within 46-42 with 5:49 to go, but then the Wolves started picking up technical fouls putting the Broncos at the line for much of the quarter.

Brophy guards Chris Pierre '11 and Fred Gammage '12 finished off Chandler by making 10 free throws in the final quarter.

Pierre and Gammage scored 12 and 11 points respectively.

Andre Norris led the Wolves with 17 points and Lloyd Mills scored 11 points before fouling out of the game.

Mr. Fuller pointed out that Chandler only had one senior on the team and thought the Wolves would improve next season.

Next for the Broncos is a home playoff game Feb. 22 vs. an opponent to be named later.

Soccer survives King-sized scare en route to title game

It wasn't easy, but No. 1 Brophy (22-1-1) is going to play for 5A-I championship.

Goalie Nate Sundermire '12 left school early due to the flu causing him to miss the semifinal game vs. Yuma Kofa Feb. 10.

Senior defender Mark Mandala '11 injured his MCL vs Kofa and will not play tomorrow.

The Broncos were tied with the "Kings" of the 5A-I Arizona Republic rankings until Kevin Grigsby '11 scored his second goal of the contest with 3 minutes to go.

"We're very resilient," Grigsby said. "We know how to come from behind and know how to deal with adversity. That's a sign of a championship team."

Narrowly escaping has been a recent theme after Brophy beat Desert Vista 1-0 in the quarterfinals in the 80th, and last minute.

The semifinal game was seemingly over once Brophy took a 3-1 lead on Kofa after Riggs Lennon's '13 second goal.

But in the second half Kofa scored a couple quick goals on backup goalie Michael O'Conner '13.

"(O'Connor) came in and did quite well, I thought," Brophy coach Marc Kelly said. "He didn't have nerves. I thought he played some aerial balls very nicely. He marked his box well."

It's not known whether Sundermire would play in the state championship on Saturday.

The Broncos will face rivals No. 2 Hamilton in the state championship Feb. 12 at Campo Verde High School; the Huskies lost to Brophy 2-1 earlier in the season.

The Huskies are who Brophy wanted to play all the season; you've got to beat the best to be the best.

Mountain View cheer dethroned, but Xavier still runner-ups

The Mesa Mountain View Toros had won the last five state championships for cheerleading.

But in the 2011 state championship, Feb. 5, in Prescott, AZ, they were finally dethroned by Desert Mountain.

The Toros did not qualify in the "All Girls Stunt" in their regional, which is one of the three events a spirit line team must qualify for in order to be eligible for the state championship.

Only 7 teams qualified in Division I, while just 6 did in Division II.

Xavier College Prep placed second yet again; in five of the last six years Xavier has finished second.

In the "All Girls Stunt" Xavier finished fourth, in the "All Girl Pom" they finished third, and in the "Show Cheer" the Gators placed second.

The competition, or game, depending on whether you think cheer is a sport, was broadcasted on the AIA's official website.

AIA play by play announcer Sarah Kezele said, "I was a little surprised about Xavier there, what happened? I thought Xavier would be higher."

"This is one program I cannot compliment enough. They are so talented, especially this year, they've taken it to a whole new level." added Kezele.

This is IT!

So, here it is, the last week of the regular season for the Brophy Broncos (16-7). The Broncos were feeling good about themselves until PF Rodrigo Furtado '11 dislocated his elbow sometime Saturday morning. James Harper '12 is now expected to start in Furtado's place with F Jordan Medl '12, C Sai Tummala '11 in the frontcourt.

Furtado's injury hurts Brophy because he always gives 100% and I know that's a cliche, but it's true. He plays the game with so much energy and emotion. Furtado averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds a game. He was injured on his 18th birthday; his teammates had some prayers for him:

"Its not fair. Our best player, our hardest work, and the life of our team. That was one of the most painful things to watch. Were so sorry Rod. Love ya buddy." - Greg Patten '13

"Happy Birthday Rod! Get better man! We need you and are all praying for you!" - James Harper '12

"Happy belated birthday, i hope your arms ok"- Sanders Windham '11

"Happy birthday man!!! Get better soon, we need you." - Garron Scoon '12

Tuesday Feb. 8 - at Desert Vista (US Airways). I'm not sure why they're playing at the US Airways center, but Brohy will draw a large crown. The Thunder defeated Brophy by a single point earlier this season at Robsyn Gymnasium. This prompted AIA writer Don Ketchum to call out Brophy's "sixth man". Earlier in the week, Desert Vista (19-6, 5-3 Fiesta Region) knocked off top-ranked Mesa.

Key Player to Watch:
F Danny Powell - especially with Furtado injured, he becomes Desert Vista's critical player. Averages 20.5 points/game, 10.1 rebounds/game. Like Tummala, Powell can shoot the three's also, making 49% of them.

Friday Feb. 11 - at Chandler. So the Chandler Wolves (8-16, 1-7 Fiesta Region) are the Broncos final regular season opponent. The Wolves have lost SEVEN straight games and all of them are Fiesta Region match-ups. The Broncos beat them 54-40 a few weeks ago at Robson Gymnasium. I've just discovered a mystery surrounding PF Kisima Jagne - he's no longer listed on the team roster on maxpreps and Chandler's web site and last played 1/28 vs Red Mountain.

Key Player to Watch: PG Andre Norris - leads team with 14.7 points/game, but also shoots a very low percentage (35%). With Jange missing, Norris also leads with 6.6 rebounds/game.

Fourth quarter explosion ignites victory on Senior Night

Brophy 68
Red Mountain 64

By Justin Janssen ’11
THE ROUNDUP

Brophy didn’t lead for most of the game Feb. 1, but Michael Hauser ’13 led the Broncos (15-7, 4-3 Fiesta Region) on the comeback trail.

Hauser nailed three three-pointers in the final quarter to complete the rally against Red Mountain in route to a 68-64 win on Senior Night.

“The game was hard fought, we played well and hung in there,” said Brophy head basketball coach Mr. Tony Fuller.

(Photo by Mica Mulloy '99) Sai Tummala '11 gives Brophy

three-point range from the center position

The contest started out slow with both teams held in single digits after the first quarter.

The Mountain Lions pushed their lead to 18-8 early in the second quarter after making three consecutive three-pointers.

Red Mountain, led by Jordan Pratt’s 24 points, continued to lead behind an array of three’s.

They led 26-21 at halftime and 46-40 after the third quarter.

But Brophy nearly took the lead on a couple of occasions in the third quarter.

After trailing 30-21 early in the third quarter, the Broncos went on an 8-0 run, and later Brophy tied the score at 32 and 36.

Brophy’s offense exploded in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Mountain Lions 28-18.

Hauser’s third three-pointer of the fourth quarter put the Broncos ahead for good. Brophy led 59-57 with 1:42 to go.

That was Brophy’s first lead since they led 2-0 very early in the first quarter.

Sai Tummala ’11, the Broncos center, led the team with 24 points.

Rodrigo Furtado ’11 scored 10 points and collected six rebounds.

The Broncos haven’t lost back-to-back games all season, meaning they are 7-0 when they are coming off of a loss.

For Red Mountain (9-14, 2-5 Fiesta Region), it’s their seventh loss by four or less points.

Chris Pierre ’11 and James Harper ’12 each scored nine for the Broncos.

Brophy will try to win their second consecutive game at Hamilton High Feb. 4.