No. 22 Cowboys upset No. 11 Winslow 78-53 in first round of 3A state tourney

February 16, 2024 by Brian M. Bergner Jr., AZPreps365


Jordan McMahon-Fullmer (23) passes the ball to an open man during the Yvonne Johnson Memorial Tournament in December, 2023. Camp Verde upset No. 11 Winslow 78-53 behind McMahon-Fullmer's 24 points in the first round of the 3A Boys State Basketball Championships on Feb. 14, 2024, in Winslow. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365, file)

WINSLOW — Jordan McMahon-Fullmer scored 24 points, Caleb Bahe added 22 on four 3-pointers and No. 22-seeded Camp Verde upset No. 11 Winslow 78-53 in the 3A state tournament opener Wednesday night.

It is the fourth straight win for the Cowboys (18-11, 7-5 3A North Central), which missed the state playoffs a season ago after qualifying in 2020-21, only to lose to then-No. 5 Page 57-54.

Camp Verde hit a barrage of 3-pointers to open the game, knocking down seven in the first quarter to outscore the Bulldogs (13-12, 6-4 3A East) 31-10 on their homecourt and they never recovered.

"We came out lights out. They were putting everything in they put up," Camp Verde head coach Dan Wall said, crediting the players with the focus they had heading into enemy territory.

"There wasn't one player on our roster with playing experience in the playoffs, but they were prepared for the moment," Wall said.

Isaac David led Winslow with 18 points, 12 of which came in the second half.

Camp Verde was one of five lower-seeded teams to record upsets in the first round of the state playoffs Wednesday, including the bottom five clubs such as No. 24 Sabino over No. 9 Coolidge (67-57), No. 23 Monument Valley over No. 10 Page (61--58), No. 21 Scottsdale Christian beating No. 12 Fountain Hills (56-44) and No. 20 Thatcher getting past No. 13 Pusch Ridge (51-45).

"It just speaks to the parity of the 3A," Wall said. "The depth of our league is amazing."

UP NEXT

The Cowboys head to No. 6 Northwest Christian on Saturday, Feb. 17. Camp Verde will look to play the upset card once again as they lost to the Crusaders both times this season.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.