Pueblo Magnet at Cactus 4A Playoffs Round 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On February 16th P<strong>ueblo Magnet</strong> traveled to Glendale to take on the <strong>Cactus Cobras</strong> in a 4A playoff battle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the onset Cactus established that they were going to take advantage of their interior size. Cactus jumped out to a 14-2 lead by using their size in the paint. At the end of one quarter it was 16-6. In the 2nd quarter Pueblo got a couple of fouls on Cactus big man which forced him to have to sit for part of the quarter. This allowed Pueblo to cut it to a 24-17 deficit. Cactus took a 29-20 lead into the half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 3rd quarter it was back and forth between both teams as they continued to battle. Pueblo got within 8 during the 3RD quarter. The Cobras took a 45-33 lead into the final quarter. Every time Pueblo made a run Cactus countered with a bucket to keep the lead at or around double digits. Pueblo kept fighting and got within 7 with a minute and a half left in the game but it wasn't quite enough. Cactus finished the game off hitting a number of free throws and the game ended with a final score of <strong>63-52</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here are a few of the standout players from this game. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1123041' first='Bradey' last='Henige'] <strong>Cactus</strong> <strong>(Featured Image)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One man wrecking crew finished with 36 points and did it with ease. Most of his points were right at the rim despite being double and tripled team. I was most impressed with his improvement on the defensive side. He erased quite a few of his teammates mistakes defensively by sliding over and getting weak side blocks. One of the states best players in his class is primed for a big spring/summer. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1178304' first='Isaiah' last='Hill'] <strong>Pueblo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The jet quick guard from Southern AZ was as advertised. Despite getting face guarded quite a bit he still managed to impact the game. He didn't wait for the ball as he went and got it. He's a phenomenal rebounder for his size and position. He has excellent body control and he can get to any spot on the court that he wants with his handle. Probably the top Southern AZ player regardless of class. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='814512' first='Terrell' last='Doxie']<strong> Cactus</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior guard added stability to the Cobras unit. He was their steadiest ball handler as he initiated the majority of the offense. He hit a couple of big shots late in the game as Pueblo seemed to be swinging momentum. On the defensive end he used his physicality to try to disrupt Hill and knock him off of his spots. <br><br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2280457' first='Anthony' last='Carranza'] PG 5'8 2026 Pueblo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshman point guard came to battle and didn't back down. On offense he showed the composure to draw defenders and kick it to the open person or shoot the two dribble pull up jumper. He has quick hands and had a couple of steals in which he reached from behind and poked the ball out from the ball handler. <br><br>J<strong>acob Maya SG 5'10 2024 Pueblo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The scrappy guard made his presence known by throwing his body wherever he could. He caused jump ball calls multiple times by tying up the ball and took a charge in the first half. He wasn't afraid to shoot and hit a big shot in the 2nd half that kept the Warriors within striking distance.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->