Kris Morales is a Cronkite Arizona State University student assigned to cover McClintock High School for AZPreps365.com

 

MESA- McClintock High School defeated Boulder Creek High School, 83-69, in action at the Fear The Hop Thanksgiving Tournament at Mesa High School on Wednesday.

In a very one-sided game, McClintock took command early, leading 25-8 at the end of the first quarter. A key contributor to the Charger offense was senior guard Pascal Volz, who scored 18 points tonight. Volz wears number 24 in tribute to the player who inspires him to have a relentless work ethic, the late Kobe Bryant. “I'm a Kobe guy, watching all his motivational videos and stuff like that and I’ve always have had to work for what I’ve got," said Volz. "I was a skinny kid growing up and had to work for my skills.”

Volz would start the second quarter with a simple lay-up, putting the Chargers ahead, 27-10. The Boulder Creek Jaguars tried to do everything possible to stop the Chargers’ breakaways. “Defense Tenacity” was the words used by an assistant coach for the Chargers, describing the seven breakaways they had in the first half. The half would be closed out by a half court shot made by Boulder Creek's junior point guard Espn Polanski, cutting the Chargers lead to 20 entering halftime, 49-29.

In the third quarter Charger senior small forward Jaylen Wesley would have the hot hand. Wesley started the third quarter with a three-pointer, assisted by junior small forward Erenzo Scroggins. When asked how he gets his shot off in time, Wesley, who scored a game-high 25 points, said, “My teammates have to find me open, they have to move the ball and they look for me all my shots are for them."

The fourth quarter was dominated by the Chargers, minting possession of the ball and controlling the clock as much as they could. The Jaguars fought until the final whistle, but it was just not enough for them to make a comeback. “I try to force complete play work ethic," said Volz afterward. "I try to lead by example in every single practice and game, especially in every game I try and bring it on defense and like coach said I try and bring defense tenacity because that is one thing we really built on since last year."

The Chargers now advance to semi-finals, which will take place at Mesa High school at 6:00 p.m. Friday. Their opponent? Hamilton, which beat Mesquite in the quarter-finals, 60-57. “We need to connect as a family this next day," said Wesley. "Recover and lock in for Friday's matchup.”