MHS sophomore Josh Johnson was named to the all-tournament team. Photo by William Lange

The Maricopa High School boys’ basketball team went 2-2 in the Independence High School third annual Basketball Thanksgiving Tournament to kick off the 2015-16 season.

The IHS tournament featured teams from both Arizona Interscholastic Association Division II and Maricopa’s Division III. The Rams played two teams from each division and went 1-1 against both.

“I was very pleased with our performance throughout the week in the tournament,” MHS boys’ basketball head coach Jake Neill said. “One of our goals this year is to give ourselves a chance to win every single game no matter who it is we are playing, and we did just that this week.

“In a quality tournament like this getting out 2-2 while being short-handed is OK for us. In our two wins we led from start to finish and controlled the game in both contests. In our two losses we lost by 3 and 4 and had chances in the end of both of those games to seize control and get the win, but we came up just short.”

The Rams started the tournament against much larger Division II contender Alhambra High School. Maricopa controlled the game and took a 48-40 victory.

Following that success, Division II Willow Canyon High School (Surprise) and tournament host Independence High School (Glendale) beat Maricopa by a combined seven points.

The Rams would rebound from the two losses with a dominant victory over fellow Division III opponent Barry Goldwater High School (Phoenix). Maricopa outpaced the Bulldogs on their way to a 66-50 victory.

“Our major weakness last year was giving up too many offensive rebounds, and in our two losses we did just that,” Neill said. “We cannot continue to let teams get second and third opportunities on possessions and expect to win games. We showed a lot of toughness and even though we were missing some key players we were able to compete at a high level in every game which is encouraging.”

Sophomore Josh Johnson averaged 22 points per game and was named to the All-Tournament team. The Rams were also led by outstanding play from seniors Johnny Johnson Jr., Isaac Carlyle and Isaiah Soriano.

The Rams will return to action Tuesday night against the Apache Junction High School Prospectors at home at 7 p.m.

Tourney results
Opponent              W/L    Score

Alhambra               W    48-40
Willow Canyon       L    65-61
Independence         L    50-47
Goldwater              W    68-50

Adam Wolfe
Adam Wolfe
http://inmaricopa.com
Adam was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but spent the majority of his young life in Lakeside, Arizona. After graduating from Blue Ridge High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He has been working in the field of journalism since 2010. Adam has worked in a wide range of fields including professional sports and international media relations. He has also been a breaking news reporter, sports columnist, government reporter and community reporter. He spent a year in Denver, Colorado before coming to Maricopa in 2015. In his spare time, he will often be found enjoying the great outdoors. If he isn’t hiking or fishing, he is likely hopelessly cheering on his Arizona sports teams. Adam was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but spent the majority of his young life in Lakeside, Arizona. After graduating from Blue Ridge High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He has been working in the field of journalism since 2010. Adam has worked in a wide range of fields including professional sports and international media relations. He has also been a breaking news reporter, sports columnist, government reporter and community reporter. He spent a year in Denver, Colorado before coming to Maricopa in 2015. In his spare time, he will often be found enjoying the great outdoors. If he isn’t hiking or fishing, he is likely hopelessly cheering on his Arizona sports teams. Adam was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but spent the majority of his young life in Lakeside, Arizona. After graduating from Blue Ridge High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He has been working in the field of journalism since 2010. Adam has worked in a wide range of fields including professional sports and international media relations. He has also been a breaking news reporter, sports columnist, government reporter and community reporter. He spent a year in Denver, Colorado before coming to Maricopa in 2015. In his spare time, he will often be found enjoying the great outdoors. If he isn’t hiking or fishing, he is likely hopelessly cheering on his Arizona sports teams.
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