Comeback falls short as men fall to Cochise in regional final, 83-74
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cochise College (23-9, 14-9) | 42 | 41 | 83 |
|
Mesa Community College (21-9, 18-5) | 37 | 37 | 74 |
Cochise College
| Game Statistics | Cochise College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (33-61) | (27-58) |
| Field Goal % | 54.1% | 46.6% |
| Rebounds | 27 | 37 |
| Assists | 20 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 7 | 19 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 24 | 4 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 15 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 9 | 5 |
MESA, AZ - Mesa's try for an eighth come-from-behind win after a halftime deficit fell short Monday as the T-Birds fell in the Region I championship game to Cochise, 83-74, at Theo Heap Gym.
Trailing by as many as 21 in the first half after Cochise started red-hot, hitting six of its first seven three-pointers, Mesa whittled the margin to five points at halftime and four on four occasions in the second half, but could get no closer.
The T-Birds, who finished the year 21-9, their third straight 20-win season, found themselves trailing, 35-14 with 8:47 left in the first half, but battled back to within 42-37 by the break.
MCC got to within 48-44 and still trailed just 62-58 with 9:17 to play when the Apaches reeled off eight unanswered points.
Andrew Jones (So., Portland, Ore/Westview H.S.) hit a three-pointer to break the run, however nine points was as close as Mesa could get the rest of the way.
The T-Birds shot themselves in the foot with 19 turnovers to only seven for CC. Meanwhile, the Apaches got a 33-point performance from Daniel Hernandez.
Mitch Burnett (Fr., Phoenix, AZ/Central H.S.) had season highs with both 22 points and 14 rebounds for MCC. Jones finished with 18, Charles Wardell (So., Milwaukee, Wisc/Northwest Secondary H.S.) added 14 and Khari Holloway (So., Jackson, Miss/Mountain Pointe (AZ) H.S.) scored 12.