By Don Ketchum

Tolleson High has had a contending team in girls basketball for nearly a decade. Now the boys program is becoming a force.

The Wolverines’ defense came through in the late stages of the game to turn back a rally by Phoenix Northwest Christian on Thursday night (Dec. 30) and preserved a 49-48 victory, giving Tolleson the championship of the Northwest Valley Boys Basketball Holiday Tournament at Phoenix Greenway.

Tolleson first-year coach Rich Brumbaugh agreed that defense was the key.

“We held our (four) opponents in this tournament to less than 50 points, so that’s saying something,’’ he said. He noted that no Tolleson player has fouled out of a game thus far this season.

The defense of senior guards Tyre Ferrell and Raymond Pipken on Northwest Christian star point guard Dakota Anderson was particularly effective. He got his share of points (19), but was frustrated on many other occasions.

Northwest Christian had the ball and a chance to win it with 8.2 seconds. Anderson drove near the top of the key and fired, but his shot was off the mark.

“Stopping 3 (Anderson’s number) was one of our goals,’’ Brumbaugh said.

When Tolleson has the ball, there isn’t much of a secret who will get most of the touches – junior forward Stacy Davis and senior forward Brendan Pineda. The 6-foot-7 Davis had 23 points and the 6-4 Pineda had 13. But if one of them should struggle, Tolleson will have to rely more on the shooting of its guards.

“I’ve been coaching 26 years and I haven’t had a forward like Stacy,’’ Brumbaugh said. “Brendan works extremely hard and takes some of the load.

Tolleson led by as many as 14 on a couple of occasions, but Northwest Christian applied some pressure defense of its own to create turnovers and turned them into points to stay in the game.

Tolleson raised its record to 9-3, and Brumbaugh was elated that his team was able to hold on and earn the title trophy.

“We lost to (Phoenix) Pinnacle by a point earlier this season, and playing in a game like that helped us play in a game like this,’’ he said. “We know we’ll probably have more close games when we get to the state tournament.’’

In the third-place game, Glendale Raymond S. Kellis edged Peoria Sunrise Mountain 58-55.