Rams boys cruise past Dust Devils

Terrance Motley scored 17 points to lead the Maricopa boys basketball team to an 81-44 home victory Tuesday over Eloy Santa Cruz Valley in a game where he and the regular starters saw limited action.

Kendal Morris added 11 points and Jarvis Gonzalez and Travis Brown contributed nine points apiece in the lopsided victory.

Sitting all five regular starters at the outset of the game, the Rams were able to jump out to an early lead. Keyed by strong interior play by Morris, Maricopa opened the game with an impressive 9-3 run. However, sloppy passing and several takeaways by the Dust Devils allowed them to close the early gap as the first quarter ended with the Rams up 14-10.

At the top of the second quarter, several of the starters began making their limited appearances in the game. But it was when Motley took to the court that the game began to turn in the Rams’ favor. His presence sparked an almost-immediate 10-4 run by Maricopa, as he quickly scored four points and pulled down three rebounds that led to six fast-break points. Despite several turnovers at the end of the half, the Rams stretched their lead, heading into the locker room up 38-24.

Bringing back their opening starters, the Rams poured it on in the second half. Spreading the ball around, 12 of the 15 Maricopa players scored. Switching to a full-court press with less than three minutes left in the third quarter, the Rams went on an 8-0 run in the final moments of the quarter, breaking open the score to a 54-31 tally.

The fourth quarter saw much of the same from the Rams, as they continued to seemingly score at will against an overmatched Santa Cruz Valley team. Pushing the action on both sides of the court, Motley returned in the fourth quarter, raking in several rebounds and starting several fast-breaks with long passes downcourt. There was little the Dust Devils could do to slow down the Rams, who continued to play hard even when the game was well in hand.

The win improved the Rams’ record to 16-6 on the season, 7-4 in 3A South Region play. Maricopa is ranked 14th in the 3A boys basketball power rankings and will need to finish strong if it hopes to make the playoffs this season.

Next up for the Rams is their final home game of the season on Friday, Feb. 6, followed by two road games to wrap up the season next week.

Photo by David Vargas