Despite how much energy the Panthers spent last week, they had more than enough to outpace the Eagles on Tuesday night.
With three days off, an intense, packed-house rivalry game almost seemed easy in comparison to what the Coconino boys basketball team went through in their five-game stretch in the midst of finals week.
After winning five games in eight days — including three in a row last Thursday, Friday and Saturday — the Coconino outran and outmuscled host Flagstaff High 51-45 on Tuesday. It was the Panthers’ (11-2, No. 5 in Division II power points) 11th consecutive victory as they enter the backstretch of the season.
Nothing has come easy for the Panthers, and all the hardship they have endured has only made them stronger.
“This has been the season of true adversity,” said Coconino coach Kelley Smith, who was more proud of the squad’s cumulative 3.8 GPA than anything else they have done this season. “There’s a very bright future for this young group.”
With a backlogged schedule due to make-up games that were postponed due to snow, this year’s Panthers — who are mostly juniors — are gaining valuable experience in what continues to be a special season for them.
“(Last week) was really tough but it showed how diverse we are — to be able to go through stuff like that and still be able to come out and get it done,” said junior Skyler Zweifel, who had 10 points in the game. “It shows how hard we work at things.”
And they certainly had to work to beat Flagstaff High (8-3 overall, No. 16 in Division II power points), which held a 25-23 lead in the third quarter before the Panthers went on an 8-0 run to take the lead for good.
While the Panthers tried to pull away late in the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead, the Eagles never gave up as Callum Long continued to drive to bucket for layups and finished with a game-high 20 points.
“They got a few shots to fall and they got in rhythm,” said FHS senior Ryan Townsend, who scored six points in the contest. “They played really hard defense so it was hard for us to get to the rim. We figured it out toward the end of the fourth quarter but it was too little, too late.”
Coconino’s swarming defense limited Flagstaff High’s offense as only four Eagles made a field goal. Although many of the Panthers were playing in their first city rivalry game at the varsity level, the extra intensity paid dividends.
“We had so much energy and so much fight in us,” Zweifel said. “I was a little nervous at the beginning but once we got in there, the confidence kicked in and we just knew what we were doing.”
Even for the Panthers who had played in front of the deafening crowd before, that extra experience wasn’t much help before tipoff.
“I was just as nervous as I was last year,” said junior Josh Ingram, who led the Panthers with 14 points and nine rebounds.
But the difference in the game was the Panthers had more opportunities to score as their defense locked the Eagles down.
“We made shots,” Ingram said. “Skyler’s 3 (which put Coconino up by 13 with less than 1:30 to go) was the dagger.”
But so was the Panthers’ energy level. Even though they could have wilted after last week’s grueling stretch, they proved there is plenty left in the tank.
“Honestly, they outhustled us,” Townsend said. “They’re one of the best teams we’ve played.”
