Basha boys hoops rolls on

December 27, 2022 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Basha's Christian Warren (dark jersey) surrounded by three McClintock defenders. Warren finished with game-high 17 points. (Azpreps365 photo)

It was another lopsided victory for Basha's boys basketball team Tuesday afternoon as the Bears won their second game of the annual McClintock Holiday Shootout.

This one took a little longer to go the way of the rout Basha has fashioned in 14 of its 15 victories. A game-breaking run to begin the third quarter put an end to any ideas tourney-host McClintock had of an upset. The Bears extended a 38-29 halftime lead to its usual double-digit romp by game's end in defeating the Chargers, 79-42, at Doc Zinke Gymnasium.

Coach Mike Grothaus' squad ran its record to 15-0. They've posted an average margin of victory of 28 points in those games. The Bears have two games left before the 2022 portion of the 2022-23 schedule ends. Basha's next opponent is the Boulder Creek-Desert Mountain winner.

Junior Christian Warren led Basha with 17 points, one of three Bears in double figures. Junior Izaih Johnson was next with 16 points and senior Torin Bosch added 11 points. Basha got 24 points off its bench with Will Zanoni (8) and Sam Zanoni (7) heading the reserves scoring. McClintock was led by seniors Jacoby Brown (13 points) and Shakur Davis (11 points). Freshman Kyler Frye added nine points for the Chargers.

Grothaus didn't seem overly impressed by his team's first-half performance. A nine-point lead was OK, but he was eager for an uptick after intermission.

He got it. Basha scored the first 17 points of the third period over a five-minute interval, extending its lead to 55-29. The Bears outscored McClintock 28-5 in the third. It enabled Basha to rest easy and clear the bench in the fourth quarter.