Bruce Whetten
Douglas Dispatch
 Bruce Whetten/Douglas Dispatch Cochise College’s Marcus Williams finds himself surrounded by four Arizona Western players who are all trying to take the ball away from him Tuesday. The Apaches won the game 61-59 moving into a first place tie with Arizona Western with one game remaining in the regular season. |
The win was significant in that it ended a three year skid to Western and put the Apaches back into a first place tie with the Matadors with one game remaining in the regular season.
It also gave Cochise College basketball coach Jerry Carrillo his 300th career win. Fitting it came against a quality opponent like Western whose coach Kelly Green had surpassed the 300 win mark prior to the start of the season.
The game, which was the Apaches lowest scoring game of the season, was close throughout with neither team leading by more than five points.
The Apaches had been averaging 96.7 points per game going into the contest and were held 35 points below their average.
Afterwards Carrillo celebrated with his family and players. The fans cheered and applauded when Cochise College Athletic Director Bo Hall presented Carrillo with a special plaque commemorating his 300th win.
“It feels good to be in first place but more importantly it feels good to beat Arizona Western,” Carrillo said afterwards. “We hadn’t beaten these guys since 2005-2006. … Western has some good players and they have some size but our guys listened and executed our game plan tonight”
Carrillo said Cochise College has been good to him, his family and his basketball family but to win 300 games is a credit to the players and the assistant coaches he’s worked with the 14 years he’s been at Cochise.
Tied 17-17 10 minutes into the game Cochise would go on to lead Western 25-23 in a surprisingly low scoring first half.
Mike Mayo’s three early in the second half increased the Apaches lead to 41-36.
The Apaches led 47-45 at the midway point of the second half and had a 57-54 edge with five minutes remaining in regulation.
That lead evaporated when Western nailed a three to go up 58-57 with 2:21 remaining in the game.
DeAngelo Jones then hit a pair plus the free throw he was awarded after being fouled giving Cochise a 60-58 lead with two minutes remaining.
Western trailed by one, 60-59, with just under five seconds remaining when Jamiko Verner scored his only point of the night giving Cochise its 61-59 lead after he hit one of two free-throws.
Western inbounded the ball only to have it knocked away by Cochise as the players, coaches and fans celebrated.
The 61 points was a season low for Cochise beating the previous low of 71 the Apaches scored in their loss to Western last month.
Jones, who finished with 12 points on the night, was playing with badly hyperextended fingers on his shooting hand. He said afterwards his hand hurts but the win makes the pain a little more bearable.
“This is what I came here for,” he said.
Jones said he was happy to have a hand in helping Carrillo win his 300th game.
“We’re helping each other out right now,” he said.
“DeAngelo has delivered everything we’ve asked him to do,” Coach Carrillo said. “He went to a Division One school last year and things didn’t work out. He’s come here and he’s helped us win and he’s been very productive. He’s playing with great integrity right now.”
Marcus Williams led the Apaches in scoring with 15 points, Jason Holmes and Mike Mayo each had 10 and sophomore Victor Reid contributed nine.
The Apaches, 17-4, close out the regular season Friday at Phoenix College. Western hosts Eastern Arizona.
Phoenix College beat Cochise earlier in the season at Cochise giving the Apaches their only home loss this season.
“We have to go redeem ourselves on Friday night and try to win the championship,” he said. “Bottom line if we win Friday night we’re ACCAC champions.”
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