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In front of a packed house Thursday night and, at times, a deafening Greek-life-themed student section, the Queen Creek boys’ basketball team upset seventh-ranked Higley, 73 – 68. The win extended the Bulldogs’ winning streak to a season-best five games.
The Bulldogs entered the game knowing they had to rebound and defend versus their rival to have a chance for the victory.
Queen Creek’s Kade Parks (15) battles for the opening tip in Thursday’s game.
“We knew they shoot a lot of (three-pointers) so we knew that we had to very conscious of them shooting a lot of threes,” Gibson said. “We knew (Higley senior forward Bryan) Battle was a beast so we had to keep him off the boards and try to – if he caught the ball – bring some help (on defense), give him one shot, and rebound the ball.”
The Knights, who were recently atop the Division II rankings, came into Thursday’s contest on a roll, winning seven of their last eight games and undefeated in four previous Section VI games.
Higley’s student section traveled in large numbers to support its streaking basketball team and it helped as the Knights were able to hold off a motivated and adrenaline-filled Bulldogs’ team throughout the first half.
The Knights maintained a small lead – no more than seven points – throughout the first half, largely due to them hitting free throws and the Bulldogs missing theirs. Queen Creek made only 14 of 28 from the charity stripe in the game.
“They had 14 points from the line,” Gibson said of the Knights, who made 14 of 16 free throws in the first half. “We had a couple of breakdowns where they had some wide-open threes. We knew if we could tighten up some of that stuff we were going to be right there.”
The shooting of Kade Parks, Bradley Woods, and Frigny Niclasse kept the Bulldogs within four at the half, 36 – 32. The trio combined for 24 – eight points each – of their team’s 32 points.
Queen Creek, which has been known for slow second-half starts more than a few times this season, fell further behind at the start of the third quarter before Bradley Woods drained a three-pointer and Tyler Bloom followed with a bucket to tie the game, 43 – 43.
According to Gibson, he didn’t need to say much, if anything, to his team about coming out ready to play in the second half.
“If you can’t get up for this game,” he said rhetorically. “It was nice; we had a great crowd and (Higley fans) travel really well. They’ve been packing the house because they’ve obviously had a lot of success. It was a big game, the house was rocking, we had the band, and the little cheer girls. It was a great high school atmosphere.”
The teams exchanged leads from there, before the third quarter ended with Higley holding a 53 – 50 lead.
A three-pointer by Queen Creek senior Malik Cobbins, followed by a bucket by Niclasse in the opening minute of the final quarter put the Bulldogs up, 55 – 53. They later took the lead for good on a basket by Woods that made it 61 – 59 with 3:18 remaining.
The Bulldogs’ student section was standing-room only Thursday night.
The Queen Creek student section, now in full throat, helped the Bulldogs pour it on down the stretch, opening a 67 – 62 lead with less than a minute left.
“They helped us a lot,” Bulldogs’ junior forward and recent Ledger Athlete of the Week Kade Parks said about the students. “We probably couldn’t have done it without them.”
The Knights tried to keep it close, burying some long-range threes, but the Bulldogs were able to execute at the offensive end, setting up easy baskets to preserve their lead and ultimately claim the victory.
“We just worked together as a team,” answered Bulldogs’ point guard Frigny Niclasse when asked how his team pulled off the upset. “We knew we could do it. We can beat any team in the state, we just have to work together.”
Higley’s Bryan Battle, a senior, led all scorers with 20 points. Teammates Chris Wright and Lawsen Owens, both juniors, finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Queen Creek was led by Parks, who finished with a double-double – 16 points and 11 rebounds. Niclasse dished out a game-high eight assists to go along with 14 points and seven rebounds. Bradley Woods scored a team-high 19 points and Tyler Bloom contributed 10.
Gibson was asked what’s different about his team during the five-game winning streak compared to earlier this season.
“We have our rotation down a little bit,” he responded. “Guys are getting comfortable with their roles and they’re playing really well right now. We’re starting to gain some confidence, so it’s been fun.”
Queen Creek, now 4 – 2 in sectional play and 1.5 games out of first place, has five games remaining in the regular season – four of them against Section VI foes – including the finale against first-place Gilbert Christian.
The Bulldogs can still reach the postseason, despite digging a hole for themselves earlier this season, but they’ll need to stay hot down the stretch. There is little, if any, room for error.
“Our backs were against the wall,” Gibson said, referring to his team’s 0 – 2 start in section games. “Our playoffs started on Jan. 11 and we’re (in the middle) of our playoff run now. One game at a time and we just have to keep it rolling.”
Upcoming schedule: Jan. 26 at McClintock, Jan. 28 vs. Tempe, Feb. 2 vs. Marcos de Niza. All games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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