Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

Despite foul trouble, a barrage of second-half turnovers and scrambling defense from its district rival, Dysart boys basketball never quite let Willow Canyon gain a lead Friday night.

On their home court, the Wildcats whittled down a 36-30 halftime deficit several times, cutting it to one in the third quarter and tying the score three separate times in the fourth.

The third tie was at 62 and came with about three minutes left. From there, the Demons persevered, getting a baseline layup from senior Jayden Martinez and a three from senior Louis Haman — his only basket of the night.

Dysart (6-4, 3-2 regular season) made three of four free throws and held on to win 72-67 at  Willow Canyon (6-4, 4-2).

"I was very proud of how they persevered. They were able to play through some tough call that didn't go our way. We kept  out head down and were able to hit a couple of shots and get some stops at the end," Dysart Coach Keegan Cook said.

The visitors' resilience was even more impressive considering the player of the game fouled out with about 1:30 remaining. The offensive foul deprived the Demons of its top rebounder and rim protector, senior forward Benson Atem.

Atem contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. He finished the night with 18 points — including a pair of corner threes — and a game-high 14 boards and four blocks.

"It was more of a team win. We're not that tall, so we all help inside. In that last minute we had a couple guys step up when two starters fouled out," Atem said. "We saw (Dysart) at the Independence tournament. We saw their press. So coming in we knew we had to stay calm and read the press to get three on two breaks and easy looks."

Senior Kevin Kilgore was the only Wildcat in double figures in the half, with 10 points. He finished with a team-high 21 and helped lead the Willow Canyon comeback along with along with junior guard K.J. Patrick.

Patrick poured in 12 of his 16 in the second half and went to town after Dysart senior point guard Elijah Childs picked up his fourth foul with 3:48 remaining in the third quarter.

"Above everything we do, we want to make sure that we do it together. I think you see that in our style of play and their belief in one another. If they lose the ball, they're going to support their teammates and play tough. In doing that, they're going to show that they're always in the ball game," Willow Canyon Coach Joseph Coletti said.

Childs has 12 points at the half and finished with 17. He also added three steals and consistently broke the Willow Canyon press.

In the final minutes of the third quarter, the Demons were more turnover prone. Yet, the 42-37 lead they carried when Childs picked up his fourth only decreased to 49-46 thanks to the Demons' defense.

Cook then put Childs back in to start the fourth quarter, and the team leader rewarded him by not picking up his fifth foul.

"We've really relied a lot on Elijah during this first quarter of the season. But I was very proud of Louis Haman coming in as our backup point guard. I think he did a really good job in that third quarter of controlling the team and making sure (Willow Canyon) didn't go on too big of a run," Cook said. "I told Eli before the fourth that he's got to be careful but still play tough defense."

In a program that received an early jolt from its new style of play and new coaching staff, the Wildcats are dealing with their first bit of adversity.

Willow Canyon started out the regular season with wins against Kellis, Ironwood (100-95 in double overtime), Verrado and Goldwater.

The Wildcats battled perennial 5A top ten team Phoenix Arcadia on the road Thursday before falling 64-61.

"These guys are figuring out that the defensive end is where they have to display toughness and togetherness. Once they get that down, I think the offensive side is going to take care of itself," Colette said. "We are all understanding that we are in charge of our story. We're focused on the process in everything. You can't get too high or too low. If you win, that's great, but stayinging focused on the process is where we're going to find success."

While these schools are far from next door, they are very familiar with one another.

For example, Wenar John is a senior for Dysart and his younger brother, Sunday, plays for Willow Canyon.

"They are know each other and play against each other whether it's in club season, at the park or the rec center. So it's going to be competitive. It's bragging rights for the kids," Cook said. "It was a big crowd. Kids get into it from both schools. And it was a fun crowd."

Willow Canyon's Kelvin Patrick (#22) makes a layup against Dysart on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017 at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]