FLAGSTAFF, AZ – The Vista Murrieta boys’ basketball team took to the road earlier this month to see how the competition fared outside of California. Their travels took them to “The City of Seven Wonders,” aka Flagstaff, Arizona. The city is often referred to that way because it sits amid the Coconino National Forest and is surrounded by the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, Walnut Canyon, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater National Monument and the San Francisco Peaks. While sightseeing wasn’t their mission, performing well in the Pepsi Holiday Invitational was.
As an exhibition tournament, the event did not count for standings or playoffs at the end of the season. But, with several games over three days, it was a chance to try new ideas and get plenty of time on the court early in the schedule before the trials and tribulations of the regular league season comes in January. Game play took place at Flagstaff High School from Thursday, Dec. 8, through Saturday, Dec. 10, with 12 teams competing from three of the different surrounding states.
“It was a great tournament for our guys,” Daniel Carlin, Vista Murrieta head basketball coach, said. “Our guys showed a lot of grit. Driving over 300 miles up to that elevation and playing five games in 72 hours, our guys would have had a lot of reasons to be fatigued and not perform at the level they did.”
Arizona teams included Winslow, Valley Christian, Arizona Lutheran, Mingus Union, AZ College Prep, Coconino, Flagstaff, Camp Verde and Northland Prep. Nevada teams included Green Valley (Henderson) and Bonanza (Las Vegas) while Vista Murrieta (12-2) was the only team from California.
Day one saw Vista Murrieta defeat host school Flagstaff 59-36 behind a powerful 17-point performance by senior point guard Gary Dotson. Day two had the Broncos play two games where they were unstoppable on offense and commanding on defense. After downing Winslow 71-35, as Dotson again led the way with 17 points, Vista Murrieta also took down Bonanza 77-27 behind Nate Padilla’s 20 points.
In the semifinal round on day three, the Broncos would again need to play through two games if they wanted a shot at bringing home the tournament title. A 28-point showing from Dotson helped seal a 60-42 victory over the Valley Christian Trojans, setting up a tough championship game against Arizona College Prep. Junior power forward Donovan Ford would put up 16 points for Vista Murrieta, as they stayed in front to win the tournament title by a score of 55-48.
“Valley Christian and Arizona Prep were some real quality wins, and to take care of the Trojans in the dominant fashion that we did, and then to come back and win the final that same day was a real morale booster for our team,” Dotson said.
The final day of the tournament had the third-place game go the way of Valley Christian with a 64-51 win over Coconino, and the Consolation Championship went to Mingus with a 52-51 win over Camp Verde. The Consolation third place game went the way of NPA, who beat Winslow 52-38.
“Flagstaff High School put on a great tournament,” Carlin added. “We loved the tournament and our time in the city as well. Hopefully we make it back up one day.”
Gary Dotson was named to the All-Tournament team averaging 17.2 points per game with 5.4 assists and 2.4 steals. Also named to the All-Tournament team was Donovan Ford with his average of 10.4 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists. After the Christmas holiday break the Broncos will be back in action in the more local Battle of the Oak tournament, which starts Tuesday, Dec. 27. League play for Vista Murrieta starts in the new year when they open against Murrieta Mesa on Wednesday, Jan. 4.
“Our goal has been to win our league all season,” Carlin stated. “There’s a lot of great teams in our league, but our time in Flagstaff has definitely helped move us closer to our goal, and as a coach I’m excited by the momentum the trip has given us.”
For the 2022-2023 season the Broncos are competing in Division 2AA of the CIF Southern Section and as of Tuesday, Dec. 13, were ranked No.14 in the polls, along with Linfield Christian who are ranked No. 7 in the same division.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
