#13 Desert Mountain vs #5 Ironwood – Open Division Quaterfinals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday February 18th the <strong>Desert Mountain Wolves </strong>traveled to Glendale to take on the <strong>Ironwood Eagles</strong> in a playoff battle in the Open Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 1st quarter Ironwood jumped out to a 12-9 by trying to use their physicality to overpower the Wolves. Desert Mountain responded and got a lead to end the quarter 18-16. Once the Wolves got going their confidence continued to build and so did the lead. They used a big 24-6 2nd quarter to build a 42-22 halftime lead. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 3rd quarter the veteran Ironwood team looked as if they were going to cut into the deficit but Desert Mountain matched every shot that they made. With the 3rd quarter scoring being even the Wolves took a 64-44 lead into the final quarter. The lead got as big as 23 as Desert Mountain was just to much for the Eagles to handle. The final was Desert Mountain winning <strong>81-61</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here are a few of the standouts from this high energy game. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1150824' first='Kaden' last='House'] <strong>Desert Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was electric from the tip off to the very end. He hit big shot after big shot and fed off the energy of the crowd. He's more than just offense as he played the passing lanes well on defense and rebounded very well for his position. He gets my vote for top in his class in the state and should make noise on the national level very soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='814527' first='Leonard' last='Romayor'] <strong>Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior point guard did what he normally does and that is play with composure and poise. He's as tough as they come and is an extension of the coach on the floor. Tight handle, good on the ball defender are his strong points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1150823' first='Kalek' last='House'] <strong>Desert Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The silent assassin looks like he has one thing on his mind and that's winning. He doesn't really have any holes in his game. He plays at his own pace, is a very good ball handler, knock down shooter, good defender, etc. I could go on and on. He's the steadying piece of the Desert Mountain engine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='814531' first='Adonis' last='Thomas']<strong> Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The smooth wing did his part in trying to will the Eagles to a victory. He showed a very nice handle and ability to shield the defender when going into the lane. He looks longer than his listed height and showed the potential to be a top level defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1694946' first='Tony' last='Cumberland'] <strong>Desert Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Raw from a basketball standpoint but he knows how to use what he has. He came in and made his presence felt by throwing his body around on both offense and defense. He has very soft hands and rebounds like a man among boys. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='936905' first='Julius' last='Williams'] <strong>Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior forward continued to lead the Eagles as he has done all season. He is a very good rebounder and has shown more confidence in his offensive game. You can tell that he left it all out on the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Reid Neuhausen PG 5'11 2025 Desert Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore was a surprise as he came in and contributed quality minutes. He displayed a good handle and also got in on the many 3's that DM hit in the 3rd quarter. He could be one to watch for the Wolves in the future. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->