Photo by Ben Jackson '11 - James Harper '12 celebrates with Brophy fans after a win against North High School in the quarterfinals of the playoffs Feb. 26.
Brophy 69
North 61
By Justin Janssen ’11
THE ROUNDUP
With the score knotted at 61 and just more than a minute to play Feb. 26, Sai Tummala ’11 buried a long jump shot against North (24-5) propelling Brophy’s basketball team (20-7) to the semifinals.
“I had to hit that shot,” Tummala said. “It’s on my team, I got a great pass (from Chris Pierre ’11).”
The Broncos scored 10 unanswered points in the final two minutes of the game and walked out of North High School’s gym with a 69-61 win.
In the previous postseason, North defeated Brophy in the first round, and the Mustangs captured their second consecutive state championship.
The tables turned when heralded North center Alan Williams got into foul trouble in the first half.
Williams played only six minutes in the first half, and the Broncos led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter.
Photo by Ben Jackson '11 - Chris Pierre '11 drives towards the hoop for a layup Feb. 26 against North High School in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
Tummala scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the half, but then sat out almost the entire third quarter after picking up his third foul and a technical foul.
The Mustangs took a 46-43 lead late in the third quarter, but Michael Hauser ’13 sunk a three, and North’s largest lead of the second half evaporated.
James Harper ’12 scored 14 points and ensured a victory by a signature slam dunk, putting the Broncos up 67-61.
Pierre scored 11 points and assisted on six other shots, while point guard Fred Gammage ’12 scored 14 points.
“It’s a great win, we played some great defense,” said Brophy head coach Mr. Tony Fuller.
After defeating North, Brophy takes their season best six-game winning streak to Jobing.com arena to play Mesa March 3.
The Jackrabbits, winners of the Fiesta Region, defeated Brophy twice during the regular season.
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