Jared Cohen
Its always a great atmosphere when the Mountain View Toros and the Mesa Jackrabbits square off no matter what the sport. On Thursday night it was in basketball between two of the most talented teams in Arizona.
Mesa was coming off a tough home loss to Desert Mountain earlier in the week so they made it a point to come out fast against Mountain View. They were able to do so with a 10-4 lead after the first.
Mountain View started to heat up in the second quarter lead by Toro guard Colton Meo who knocked down consecutive three’s to bring them within two in the second. He had 12 points in the game. One of the top prospects overall in the state is 2014 center Payton Dastrup who got everyone involved early and kept the team close with the job he did at the free throw line. He made nine of ten free throws finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and 3 assists.
But Mesa came out loose and pushed the tempo in the third quarter. Sophomore guard Jalen Jenkins showed off his high basketball IQ penetrating and dishing finding open teammates like Christian Harris who had 13 points including three three’s all in the second half and senior leader D.J. Henderson who finished with a game high 16.
The Jackrabbits write this chapter of their rivalry with the Toros with a 61-50 win.
“These guys are my brothers,” said guard Jalen Jenkins after the game. “I love every single one of these dudes. I care about them. And when we win, we win as a team and it feels good. We’re a family here. It means a lot.”
Mesa moves to 15-3 on the season with a bounce back win to stay toward to top of the Arizona power rankings. Mountain View falls to 10-7 on the year.
