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Since its season-opening one-point loss to Safford, the San Carlos boys’ basketball team has rattled off 11 wins in-a-row. In the middle of the winning streak, the Braves won five-straight games to claim the 35th Annual Copper Cities Tournament Championship at Globe High School.
The Braves defeated Combs 58 – 55 in the championship game on Dec. 12 but needed to hold off a furious comeback by the tournament’s defending champions to get it done.
San Carlos opened a 17-point lead by the end of the third quarter before last year’s state runners up were able to get back in the game, forcing several Braves’ turnovers and converting them into points. But an inbounds play by Combs, which outscored the Braves 20 – 6 in the fourth quarter, during the last few seconds did not go as planned and the Braves escaped with the 3-point victory.
The Braves have had two convincing wins since the tournament, winning at Globe (77 – 54) on Dec. 17 and at home against Cibecue (87 – 39) on Dec. 19.
Upcoming schedule: Jan. 5 vs. Duncan, Jan. 8 at Ft. Thomas, and Jan. 12 vs. Globe. 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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