One and done
Gauchos fall to 'Chokes in first round
By Matt Petersen
Sports Editor,
The VOICE
24 hours after beating division leader Chandler-Gilbert, Glendale fell to #4 Scottsdale.
Unfortunately, the latter game was the one that mattered.
Photo by Daniel Dawson/Photographer
Freshman James Ellisor reaches to score against South Mountain in a regular season game. An ankle injury kept the team's second-leading scorer from full potency in the playoffs.
The Gauchos fell to the Scottsdale Artichokes in the first round last saturday 92-90. The loss meant an end to the season Glendale wasn't ready to accept.
In a bizarre sequence of scheduling, ACCAC Region I directors notified Glendale last Thursday they would be hosting the first round of the division playoffs two days later, the night after their regular season finale.
Coach Dave Hodges was not pleased.
"It's [expletive] up the playoffs start the night after the end of the regular season."
The news didn't alter Glendale's effort against Chandler-Gilbert, a game rendered meaningless with playoff positioning already set.
Sophomore forward Lance Fite led Glendale's offense, scoring 8 of his 17 points in the opening minutes. Fite was one of five Gauchos in double-figures.
After taking a 35-26 lead, Fite picked up his second foul with 6:28 remaining in the first half. With Fite and fellow sophomore big men Dyston Madsen and Nick Sheffield saddled with two fouls, Chandler-Gilbert pounded the Gauchos inside for an 8-0 run.
The game remained close until midway through the second half. An offensive putback by Sheffield ignited a 13-2 run, giving Glendale a 68-56 lead.
The Gauchos cruised to a 90-76 win.
The next night Glendale opened the playoffs on cruise control, coming out flat against a Scottsdale team that arrived ready to play.
Turnovers (11 in the first half, 15 on the night)by Glendale and scorching 3-point shooting by Scottsdale combined to form a 21-8 Gauchos deficit.
Glendale's lead-leading offense (92.6ppg) stalled, breaking the 30-point mark at the end of the first half thanks to a Mike Brooks three-pointer.
That three proved to be an appetizer for the second half.
The 6'0" sophomore guard exploded in the second half for 21 of his 24 points, shooting 6-for-9 from three-point range for the game.
Brooks received little help. Sophomore forward Lance Fite scored 17 points, but was limited by foul trouble throughout the game. Key swingmen Mark Celaya and Momicillo Latinovic combined to shoot 5-for-23 from the field. All of it led up to Glendale turning in a 27-for-70 shooting night (38.6%), including Brooks' output.
Fite was clearly frustrated with the calls by the officials.
"It's frustrating, 'cause we run things down low when I'm not in there. When I'm not in there, we live or die by the three, and we usually die by it."
Glendale sorely missed a healthy James Ellisor. The athletic forward's playing time and effectiveness were reduced due to an ankle injury suffered the week before.
Ellisor was the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 12.4ppg. His dazzling forays to the rim allowed him to shoot a smoldering 54.6% from the field (tenth in the conference).
Ellisor is one of seven freshmen that could possibly return next season.
Please send comments to mnpetersen@gccvoice.com
