Campo Verde captures 5A championship over Millennium in first title game appearance

Mar. 3—As Campo Verde senior guard Justin Garcia dribbled the ball across the half-court line, fellow senior Josh Campbell and junior Cohen Ferguson began to celebrate alongside him.

The bench joined shortly after, along with the Campo Verde faithful that packed Veteran's Memorial Coliseum Friday night for the Coyotes' matchup against Millennium for the 5A boys' basketball state championship game.

It was the first time the Campo Verde basketball program had ever made it to the title game, but the Coyotes made the most of it. Led by Ferguson and Garcia's 13 points, Campo Verde knocked off Millennium, 61-48, to win the 5A championship.

"It feels amazing," Ferguson said. "We've been wanting this for three or four years for most of our guys. It's a testament to our hard work that's been paying off in these last couple of years, it's amazing."

All season long Campo Verde felt like an underdog. The Coyotes were virtually unknown most of the season, that is until the initial Open Division rankings had them in the top three alongside the likes of Perry.

Some started to take notice, but a loss to Mountain Pointe on a half-court buzzer beater derailed the Coyotes' chances to be a legit contender for a championship. At least, that was the perception outside of the program.

The players and coaches, especially head coach Mark Martinez, never let the opinions of outsiders dictate their mentality as the postseason approached. They were confident and they were determined to continue playing like a team.

That was on full display Friday night against Millennium.

"That was one of our keys coming in, we had to make sure we were sharing the ball," Martinez said. "The scoring stuff, that takes care of itself."

Along with Ferguson and Garcia's 26 combined, senior Ty McDowell had 12. Isaiah Kai, the Coyotes' star guard heading to Northern Arizona in the fall, had 11 points but fouled out with 2:16 to play and his team leading by seven points.

But others carried the load the rest of the way. One of those was senior big man Garrett Ahern, who didn't let a lackluster first half dictate the rest of the game for him down low against Millennium's big wings.

He settled in the middle of the Tigers' zone defense and became the outlet Campo Verde was missing in the first half to break through to the basket. He had two points on two free throws in the first half but finished with 10.

"Early on we couldn't figure out their length but once we figured it out, we started to make some big plays," Martinez said. "Garrett, in the middle of that zone, really started to knock down some big shots for us. He was the missing piece for us. There was a moment in the third quarter where I pulled him to the side and said, 'You need to be more of a threat.'

"That's when he started. It was big time."

Millennium's length played a factor in Campo Verde's inability to get out and run in the first half. Martinez said they realized quickly they couldn't get around the wingspan of 6-foot-6 wings Cameron Holmes and Kingston Tosi.

Near the perimeter, guards Quincy Everson and JT Amundsen's lateral quickness and fast hands caused fits for Kai and the Coyotes to set up their offense. That led to Millennium holding a lead throughout most of the first two quarters of play.

But adjustments were made, and Campo Verde came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter. Kai said they got their nerves out of the way. Ferguson said Martinez came in and made adjustments that simply worked.

"We had to slow ourselves down, they kinda rushed us," Ferguson said. "We had to put a guy in the middle, find him and play off him. We got the job done."

Campo Verde gradually extended its lead in the fourth due to a combination of big shots by Ahern and Garcia, as well as strong defense at the other end to force contested looks at the basket for Millennium.

Free throws down the stretch were also pivotal, as well as rebounds on both ends of the floor.

Campo Verde out-rebounded Millennium 40-28 overall. Most came on the defensive end, not allowing the Tigers a second or third chance at a bucket.

Holmes led the way for the Tigers with 17 points. Everson added 12 of his own and Tosi 9.

Since seventh grade Kai and most of the seniors had been together. Their goal since their freshman year was to put Campo Verde basketball on the map. He said they did just that Friday night.

"That long journey to now, it's unbelievable," Kai said. "This is the greatest feeling ever. We're getting a ring. It's so surreal."

Have an interesting story? Contact Zach Alvira at (480)898-5630 or zalvira@timespublications.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.