The No. 3-seeded Catalina Foothills boys basketball team didn’t get off to the start head coach Doug D’Amore wanted on Wednesday night.
But by halftime, the host Falcons were well on their way to a 55-38 win over No. 14 Peoria in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament.
The Falcons (25-5) trailed 19-14 at the end of the first quarter as Peoria (18-10) hit three 3-pointers in the opening quarter and forced Foothills into tough shots.
“First off, (Peoria) hit some really tough shots and we hoped they didn’t consistently keep hitting those,” D’Amore said.
However, during the break in between the first and second quarters, the Falcons flipped a switch both offensively and defensively. Foothills went on a quick 6-0 run to open the second quarter led by the strong play of senior forward Sam Beskind, who finished with a team-high 19 points, and never looked back.
Behind an aggressive full court defensive press, Beskind and the Falcons outscored the Panthers 18-2 in the quarter to take a 32-21 lead at halftime.
“Our defensive focus picked up (in the second quarter) and we started going to our assignments and schemes,” D’Amore said.
Aiding Beskind was the play of junior guard Carson James and senior guard Spencer Lewis, who finished with 15 and five points, respectively.
James finished with a team-high four three-pointers on the game, including two key makes in the third quarter to hold off the hungry Panthers.
The trio of Beskind, James and Lewis were tasked with running the offense and withstanding constant full-court pressure all game. D’Amore said having three seasoned upperclassmen in the backcourt is a luxury any coach would love to have.
“That’s a really, really good team and I think Sam, Carson and Spencer conducted themselves with, not just maturity, but focus and ... played one possession at a time.”
Foothills will host No. 11 Salpointe Catholic on Saturday after the Lancers upset No. 6-seeded Seton Catholic 71-62 on Wednesday. The two teams split the season series 1-1, with each team pulling off a road win.
