Tyler Dunn
ASU Student Journalist

Deer Valley defense strangles Cactus Cobras

February 1, 2019 by Tyler Dunn, Arizona State University


Deer Valley broke the game open in the second quarter, pushing the pace and forcing turnovers to the tune of a 42-20 first-half lead. (Photo: Tyler Dunn/AZPreps365)

What a difference a couple of weeks can make.

Down three starters the last time they played Cactus on Jan. 15, Deer Valley narrowly escaped with a four-point win.

On Thursday night in front of a home crowd, with a full roster and Division 4A playoff seeding in the balance, the Skyhawks clamped down on the Cobras from the very start. Deer Valley built an 18-5 lead first-quarter lead and then coasted to their seventh straight victory, 76-44.

An onslaught of half-court presses and baseline traps kept Cactus on the ropes and led to 14 turnovers. The strategy also stifled two of the division’s best scorers, Ben Seale and T.J. Rucker.

Seale, whom Deer Valley Coach Jed Dunn noted had a particularly strong game against his squad in their first matchup, was held scoreless despite averaging 18 points per gamee. Rucker led the team with 13 points, though many of those came late after the outcome was no longer in question.

“[Seale] got to the rim against us the first time at will, so we were focused on that,” Dunn said. “He’s their main guy. He makes them go. We were trying to gap him and show him early pressure and not let him get into any comfort zone.”

Dunn conceded that he had coached passively in the earlier matchup, fearing he would tire a depleted roster with a high-tempo game plan. That game plan was in full effect for round two.

“I watched them, I scouted them and I knew I wanted to increase the tempo," Dunn said. "That was our main goal. I thought our second group was better than their second group so we were trying to just gas them out.”

Senior point guard Johnny Diaz controlled much of the tempo for the Skyhawks, scoring a game-high 21 on 7-of-10 shooting. Diaz, at 5-foot-7, consistently found cracks in the Cactus defense, often finding himself squirming fearlessly around much bigger bodies for an off-balance layup.

“I had a good warmup before the game and my teammates opened up my game the whole night,” Diaz said, mildly deflecting praise for his performance.

Dunn wasn’t surprised by Diaz’s night.

“He’s been my toughest kid for four years,” Dunn said.

The Skyhawks (19-4, 7-0) have one more game before the postseason beckons. They will host the Lake Havasu Knights (10-13, 2-5) on Tuesday.