Cochise earns split with NJCAA Region I rival Arizona Western College
DOUGLAS, Ariz. — If you know anything about the recent history of the NJCAA Region I rivals Cochise and Arizona Western College, you do know that the home floor advantage rarely matters and both teams come ready to compete like bitter rivals every time they hit the floor, and this past weekend was no different, in the Stronghold gymnasium on the campus of Cochise College.
Friday, February 9th: Cochise 80, Arizona Western 70
In game one on Friday night, Cochise battled to a 34-34 tie at halftime as both teams took turns having a lead. The Arizona Western perimeter players took over the game in the second half and made big shot after big shot to seal the 80-70 road win.
Saturday, February 10th: Cochise 78, Arizona Western 65
In game two, (Saturday afternoon) Cochise jumped on the Mats and took a 46-31 lead into the locker room at halftime on a very chilly snowy afternoon in Cochise County. Cochise was able to use a very strong defensive effort to keep the Matadors from making any successful runs in the second half and securing the double-digit conference win at home 78-65. The Apache's had 4 players in double-figure scoring with Sophomore post players Merrick Small and Tracy Godfrey Jr. each pouring in 15 points in the win.
Cochise moves to 15-10 overall and 8-6 in ACCAC play.
In His Words..
Cochise Head Coach Jerry Carrillo
"Playing The AWC Matadors is always a tough task as they have good players, and are well coached and well prepared. We had a very sluggish second half on Friday night and AWC took advantage of that and got the win. To quote our former Hall of Fame Athletic Director James "Bo" Hall, "To be quite frank" –I am enjoying the back-to-back games vs. region rivals, as it shows the character of your team and what your grit and toughness are like. Our guys responded to some minor adjustments on Saturday and we were able to have great success as a Team. Again, playing without our "sparkplug" and quarterback, Jordan Hernandez is a challenge for us as we depend on him for so many intangibles."
Up Next..
Cochise Men's Basketball (15-10,8-6) will have the week off and will be back in action in the Stronghold Gymnasium to take on the Scottsdale Community College Fighting Artichokes (10-11,6-10) on Wednesday, February 21st. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm.