Arizona Daily Sun, January 21, 2012

The Coconino Panthers (12-2) went wire-to-wire for their 12th-straight win Friday night by defeating the Mohave Thunderbirds (5-7) 57-44 at Sinagua Middle School.

“We had to fight through some adversity tonight, because we didn’t play our very best,” head coach Kelley Smith said. “This team showed up prepared to get after us, but we had some guys step up and perform.”

Juniors Andy Bonner, Josh Ingram and Jason Conigliari collectively scored all but 12 of the Panthers’ points and combined for 18 total rebounds on the night. Bonner led all scorers with 21 points.

“Andy steps up for us every game,” Smith said. “He doesn’t always have to score a lot of points or pull down a lot of rebounds, but his presence on the court helps us out every game.”

The game started as a hard-fought battle, with the first quarter ending in a virtual dead heat. But as the second quarter progressed, Coconino slowly began to pull away. The Panthers turned a one-point first-quarter lead into a nine-point gap by the end of the half.

Coconino kept their momentum going in the third quarter by building their lead to 13 points by the frame’s halfway mark. That gap extended to as much as 18 points before heading into the fourth quarter with a 45-29 lead.

Smith credited his starting point guard, senior Ray Baldwin, with keeping his team competitive and focused despite the comfortable lead.

“Ray is like my coach on the floor,” Smith said. “He’s a very heady player, and him and I have a great relationship. He’s a leader for our young guys and really brings the team together.”

Baldwin, though he didn’t score in the game, led the Panthers with eight assists, most of which went to Bonner, Ingram, and Conigliari.

“We came ready to play this game,” Bonner said. “This win was important for us to keep building momentum and get some wins down the stretch.”

After notching only one win in their first six games this season, the Panthers have since gone 16-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of Catalina Foothills on Dec. 10. Despite the streak, Smith still stresses the importance of taking the season a game at a time.

“With the young team that we have, I personally don’t keep track too closely,” Smith said. “I just keep telling these kids that we’ve got one more game. We can’t think about what we’ve done or what’s coming down the road.”

The Panthers were consistent throughout the night, and led by no fewer than 11 points after the 4:33 mark of the second quarter. This was Coconino’s second double-digit win over Mohave in less than a week; the Panthers won 54-39 on Jan. 14 in Bullhead City.

Coconino will end the regular season with three home games and one road contest, beginning with a matchup against Winslow on Friday.