By Tyler Handlan

North, the No. 6 seed (9-15), upset No. 3 Central (14-14) 61-57 in a high-intensity, action-packed Division II, Section VII playoff game Wednesday.

North maintained the lead for the majority of the game due to its physical play inside and unwavering will to drive the ball to the hoop.

“I knew they were going to foul us with our type of play,” North coach Joseph Bustos said. “I wanted to make sure that we were running the correct offense and had our heads right.”

Late in the fourth quarter North’s senior point guard Tahj Coney and senior forward Matthew Sanchez carried the workload offensively for the Mustangs.

“I was just trying to drive it in the whole time. It wasn’t working in the first half,” Coney said. “I had to keep doing it and make them foul me.”

Coney had three consecutive layups midway through the fourth quarter with some appearances at the foul line that contributed to the win. Sanchez also helped set the tone in the second half with his physical play in the low post.  

“My team did a good job at recognizing that the defenders guarding me had three or more fouls,” Sanchez said. “My teammates fed me the ball when they could and I appreciate it.”

Coney ended the game with 15 points from the field, and Sanchez chipped in 16 points.

Central faced some adversity throughout the game with its foul trouble. Three players for the team had at least three fouls after the third quarter.

“We were in foul trouble the whole game, things just didn’t pan out,” Central coach Darren Bustos said. “It seemed like every time we would try to cut down the lead, we got more fouls and lost the momentum.”

Central couldn’t seem to find its shooting stroke like it had all year long.

The Bobcats went 1-for-10 from the 3-point line in the first half, finishing 5-for-11 from the 3-point line in the second half.

 “We weren’t shooting the ball well,” Darren Bustos said. “We had to try and get to the basket someway. I think that’s how we got into foul.”

Central’s junior shooting guard Terry Gardener was able to soften the Bobcats poor shooting percentage late in the fourth quarter.

Gardener hit three successive 3-pointers after the two-minute mark to draw Central’s efforts closer, but it wasn’t enough in the end.

Central’s season is likely over after its elimination from the Arizona Interscholastic Association sectional playoffs. North will look to continue its playoff run Friday against second-seeded Trevor Browne.

“We need to run our offense, drive the ball, play good defense and rebound,” Joseph Bustos said about the upcoming game versus Trevor Browne. “I’m not sure if we’ll go with a man-to-man or half-court trap, but we will have a solid game plan.”

The D-II, Section VII final is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. 

Tyler Handlan is a student at Arizona State University.