Dorian Waller is a Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler High School for AZPreps365.com.

CHANDLER – Brandon Stapleton and JT Mercado combined for 43 points Friday night to lead the Chandler Wolves to a 71-29 rout over the South Mountain Jaguars in the Wolves’ season opener.

Stapleton scored 28 points, including 21 in the first half,  on 8-for-16 shooting. Mercado tallied 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.

South Mountain was led by Jamion Wesley, who scored 12 of the Jaguars' 29 points.

The Jaguars struggled to keep the ball, finishing the night with 23 turnovers.

The Wolves opened the game with constant motion on the offensive end, jumping out to an early 15-1 lead. The Jaguars began the game in a zone but quickly had to scrap that idea due to the Wolves’ hot shooting. Stapleton scored 18 of his 21 first-half points in the first quarter, hitting two threes to start the game.

At the end of the first quarter, the Wolves led 31-7. The second quarter didn’t go well for the Jaguars either. Toward the end of the second quarter, the Wolves forced several turnovers in a row. This led to a 7-0 run by Wolves guard, Charles Cobb, who hit a three and made two layups off the Jaguar turnovers. Chandler led 50-17 at halftime. 

After the game, South Mountain coach Joseph LaMar spoke about how difficult it is to guard Chandler’s high pick-and-roll action between Mercado and Stapleton.

“It's difficult to guard because both of them can shoot the ball and both of them can get to the goal,” LaMar said. “We didn't do a great job of defending that pick-and-roll. We didn't do what we were coached to do, and we're going to get back to practice tomorrow and work on all that.”

After the game, Wolves coach Jonathan Rother spoke about his team's constant motion offense and pick-and-roll action.

“Yeah, ball movement's key. Every guy on the floor is skilled,” Rother said. “They trust each other so that ball doesn't stick. The guys are unselfish, man. I've got a great group this year.”

When speaking about Stapleton and his shot selection against the smaller South Mountain team, Rother stated that his team’s offensive scheme is designed to get Stapleton going downhill.

“Some of the actions that we got him into gives him a lot of opportunities to get to the rim and show what he can do,” Rother said. “He's super athletic. And he's always looking to make the right play.”

Stapleton believes that the offensive scheme benefits his skillset.

“I think it just really helps showcase what I can do,” Stapleton said. “I work at all levels, and it's not all about me. I like playing with my team and facilitating as well.”

Chandler (1-0) will participate in the Fear the Hop Thanksgiving Tournament against Arcadia (1-0) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. South Mountain (0-1) will participate in the Phoenix Union Coyote Classic against Marcos de Niza (0-0) on Monday at 7 p.m.