Cochise defeats Scottsdale CC 89-80 in OT to finish ACCAC season 22-0
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.— Since the 1994-95 ACCAC basketball season no Men's basketball team has gone undefeated in ACCAC, until now, as the Cochise College Apaches wrapped up an undefeated ACCAC regular season by going 22-0 with a hard-fought 89-80 victory in overtime at Scottsdale CC last night.
Cochise came out and jumped on the Fighting Artichokes early and led 43-34 at halftime. Scottsdale came storming back and took the lead late in the game. With the Artichokes leading 72-70, Cochise Sophomore, Tyreese Watson made a driving lay-up with 2 seconds left to force overtime with the score knotted at 72. Cochise then came out and dominated the Fighting Artichokes in overtime, outscoring them 17-9 in the overtime period. Cochise used timely shooting and went 8-8 from the FT line in overtime, to secure the win.
Cochise, playing without the starting center Oscar Cluff, had 5 players in double figures on the night. Tyreese Watson had a game-high 23 points, while Freshman Jalen Barbee had 5- 3 pt. field goals and had 19 points in the win. Freshman guard Jordan Hernandez had 16 points and was 8-8 from the FT line. Freshmen, Tracy Godfrey Jr. and Riley Parker chipped in 13 and 12 points respectively.
Cochise has now won 26 straight games, trailing only the College of Southern Idaho for the nation's longest winning streak. Cochise is currently ranked #11 in the Nation in both the NJCAA poll and JucoAdvocate Media Poll.
Cochise has now finished the regular season 28-2 overall and 22-0 in ACCAC play.
In His Words…
Cochise Head Coach Jerry Carrillo
"First and foremost we are just so proud of our team as they have battled adversity very well this season and to run the table and go 22-0 in ACCAC play is a huge accomplishment for these young men. To win on the road versus a very good Scottsdale team without Oscar, who arguably is the most impactful player in all of the NJCAA, is a great TEAM win for our guys. We need to take a moment and realize that they have accomplished something very special thus far this season."
Up Next…
Cochise will now host the #4 seed Mesa CC Thunderbirds in the NJCAA Region I tournament that begins this Saturday, March 4th. Cochise is the #1 seed in the NJCAA Region I tourney and will host the semifinal game vs. Mesa CC. Tip-off is set for 7 pm in the Stronghold Gymnasium. The other Semifinal match will be the #3 seed between Eastern Arizona College at #2 Seed Arizona Western College on Saturday night. The winners will meet Monday night March 6th for the NJCAA Region I Championship to be played at the highest seeds' home court. Admission will be charged for NJCAA Region I tournament games.