Aztec Report: March 8

Posted on March 8, 2024

Pima Men’s hoops advances; Women lose in semifinals

TUCSON — In a historic regional doubleheader at the Pima West Campus Gymnasium on Thursday night the 14th ranked Pima Men’s Basketball team advanced to the Division II Region I final with a 104-79 win over Glendale.

The No. 11 ladies team however was not as fortunate as the Aztecs fell to Scottsdale 49-43, suffering their first region semifinal loss since 2015.

It was the first time the Aztecs men’s and women’s teams had hosted a regional semifinal game on the same night.

Jaylen Alexander and the Pima Men’s Basketball team has taken high-scoring to a new level this season (Photo courtesy: Pima Athletics/Stephanie van Latum)

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Brian Peabody’s crew is heading back to the NJCAA Region I, Division II Finals for the third time in four years (excluded 2020-21 Covid season).

The 25-point victory for the 2nd seed Aztecs marked the 19th game this season Pima scored 100 points.

Sophomore Jaylen Alexander finished with a game-high 26 points. Sophomore Dillan Baker (Salpointe Catholic HS) scored 16 points. Gabe Oldham added 15 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists. Wes Ball contributed with a double-double off the bench as he finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

The Aztecs (27-4) will play at No. 1 Chandler-Gilbert on Saturday in the Region finals. Tipoff is 7 p.m. The Coyotes beat Scottsdale 77-64 in the other semifinal matchup.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Nogales’ Dominique Acosta was selected First Team All-ACCAC (Photo courtesy: Pima Athletics/Stephanie van Latum)

The 43 points Pima Women’s Basketball scored in the game matched their lowest point total of the season.

The Aztecs missed all 11 of their three-point shots in the game.

Freshman Rylei Waugh finished with a team-high 12 points to go with four assists and three steals. Sophomore Dominique Acosta (Nogales HS) scored 11 points. Freshman Rori Hoffmeyer (Cibola HS) added 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

The Aztecs sit at 23-8 overall and await the NJCAA Division II National Tournament selection show to see if they receive an at-large bid. The tournament is Mar. 18-23 at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin, MO.

HOOP NOTES

  • Pima Women’s Basketball Freshman Rylei Waugh was named ACCAC Division II Player of the Year, ACCAC Division II Freshman of the Year, First Team All-ACCAC and First Team All-Region I, Division II.
    • She led the Aztecs in points per game (16), assists (6), steals (2) and minutes (31). Waugh also averaged 6 rebounds per game. She played and started in all 30 games during the regular season.
  • Sophomore Dominique Acosta (Nogales HS) was selected First Team All-ACCAC and Second Team All-Region I, Division II. Acosta averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds
  • Freshman Gabby Lopez (Bisbee HS) was selected the ACCAC Division II Defensive Player of the Year.
  • Aztec Men’s Basketball freshman Cohenj Gonzales (Mesquite HS) was named ACCAC Division II Freshman of the Year. He also earned First Team All-ACCAC and Second Team All-Region I, Division II.
    • The Mesquite HS product averaged 16 points per game and led the team with a 49 percent three-point shooting percentage.
  • Sophomore Dillan Baker (Salpointe Catholic HS) was named First Team All-ACCAC and First Team All-Region I, Division II.
    • Baker led the team with an 18 point scoring average, shooting 50 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc. He reached the 1,000-point career milestone on Mar. 2.
  • Sophomore Jaylen Alexander (Columbia HS, ID) was also selected First Team All-ACCAC and First Team All-Region.
    • He averaged 16 points per game to go along with 6 rebounds. Alexander shot 63 percent from the field.

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