Dysart made the long trip from El Mirage to Gilbert Wednesday night for an Open Division first round playoff contest against ALA Gilbert North. The strong contigency of fans who made the trip in support were not disappointed, as the Demons kept up with the Eagles throughout the first half. But Dylan Novak and his supporting cast were too much to handle, as No. 11 ALA Gilbert North came away with a 74-64 victory over No. 21 Dysart.

Novak scored 32 points for the Eagles, including four three point goals in the first half. The supporting cast stepped up in the third, when ALA (21-4) turned a competitive game into a near blowout. 

Dysart never showed quit, fighting back to within eight points (61-53) midway through the fourth quarter. Nigel Anderson poured in 34 points for the Demons (23-4), but it wasn't quite enough to keep up with the Eagles, who connected for 10 three-point field goals as a team.

"We just really trust eachother as a team and we knew we were going to pull through and win this game," said junior Connor Morris, who scored 12 points for ALA.

"(Dysart) played us pretty tough in the first half, but when Dylan gets going, it really sets things up for the rest of the team."

Dysart held a brief 26-25 lead midway through the second quarter when Te'Shon Lewis hit a three-point shot brought the Demon faithful to their feet. ALA fought back and regained a 33-31 lead as time was winding down in the second quarter. That's when Novak buried a long three-pointer to extend the Eagle lead to five points at halftime, and more importantly carried momentum into the third quarter.

Novak didn't score in the third, but he dished out three assists while Morris, Owen Bell, and Stetson Rowley each made good from three-point range. ALA led 54-41 after three quarters and by as many as 19 early in the fourth quarter. Dysart made a run behind Nigel Anderson, but the Demons were forced to foul ALA down the stretch, and never got closer than eight points.

The win sets up a second round matchup with a powerful sixth seeded Millennium team, which beat Higley 88-70 Wednesday, and hasn't lost to an Arizona school this season. That includes wins over No. 3 Sunnyslope and a 20-point blowout of No. 2 Notre Dame Prep.

"We just want to do whatever it takes to win, and that's how we've played all year," Morris added.

Owen Bell added 13 points for ALA. Nate Morales finished with 12 points for Dysart, who will continue next week in the 4A state tournament.

 

Ben Stapley is a staff writer for AZPreps365.com For human-interest story ideas and related high-school sports news, contact him at bstapley@azpreps365.com or 480 295-9125