Derrian Carter is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover South Mountain for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – With the game hanging in the balance, South Mountain’s freshman guard Archie Graves took over by scoring or assisting on seven points during the team’s 13-0 run to propel the Jaguars' boys basketball team ahead of their 6A Metro Region foe Maryvale Panthers, 71-57, Monday night.

Graves sliced through Panther defenders one-on-one and made crafty layups. After Maryvale forced a contested shot, he launched a full-court pass to Jamal Carter for a lay-up to extend the lead. Jaguar junior Shane Williams’ thunderous one-handed dunk capped off the game-sealing run to make the score 65-46. 

Graves was a maestro, orchestrating the offense and finding open players in transition and against the Panthers’ 1-3-1 and 2-3 zones. In the beginning of the third quarter, he stood at the top left of the perimeter and threw a left-handed overhead pass to the right baseline to sophomore guard Tyquan Solomon for a lay-up. Graves finished with 15 points and six assists.

“(Graves has) been (playing well),” Jaguars coach Marlon Rhymes said. “He's starting to understand the game, and it's starting to slow down for him. He took his bumps and bruises, but now it's his turn.”

South Mountain’s relentless defense and athleticism forced Maryvale out of sync. The Jaguars caused 21 turnovers, applying suffocating defense to Panther players. When Maryvale broke the Jaguars’ full-court press, South Mountain defenders impelled the Panthers into mistakes and contested low-percentage shots. 

This generated buckets for the Jaguars’ quick-scoring transition offense. The Jaguars embarked on a 7-0 run to end the third quarter, and junior guard Afrah Odowaay stamped it with an open lay-up after a Maryvale turnover to make the score, 50-40.

“When we trap, we get a lot of steals,” Graves said. “We get easy steals, and that’s how we get on track.”

Maryvale’s miscues allowed South Mountain to score quick fast-break points. Graves and Solomon ran the floor, finding teammates for open three-pointers and lay-ups. Solomon finished with five assists, while the team finished with 12 assists and 42 points in the paint.

“We always preach pushing the ball and trying to find the lane,” Odowaay said. “(We) give up the ball, so we can get easy points, and tonight, we just had a lot of those.”

The Jaguars also recorded 14 offensive rebounds that allowed opportunities for second-chance points. Williams was a magnet, attracting and grabbing rebounds to spark his team’s offense. He finished with nine points and two blocks.

“They controlled the boards, and there wasn't a lot we could do to keep them off,” Panthers coach Jeremy Smith said. “(Shane Williams) was relentless on the rebounds.”

During the Jaguars’ win streak, they are averaging 19 more points than their scoring average (51.8) and allowing 16 points fewer than their points-allowed average (60.7). Coach Rhymes believes his defensive philosophy and win streak are a sign of things to come.

“We play ‘94 feet of heat,’ or diamond press, and that’s going to be our identity here at South Mountain from here on out,” Rhymes said. “We’re going to pressure the ball, (and) we will not let you walk it up.”

The Jaguars (5-12, 5-4) will host Alhambra (1-9, 0-3) at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, while the Panthers (4-14, 3-6) will play Alhambra at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday at South Mountain High School.