A strong second half from No. 6 Tucson High secured the host Badgers the 89-64 victory Wednesday night over No. 13 Glendale Apollo, advancing them to the quarterfinals in the 6A state slayoffs.
After Apollo (13-13) took a 14-4 lead early in the first quarter, eight points from senior Malaki Cunningham Hiadzi brought Tucson (19-7) back to within two.
A 3-pointer by junior Victor Vu added a 22-17 cushion after the first quarter for Apollo.
Apollo forced a few turnovers to take another 10-point lead in the second quarter. Every time Tucson made a run and got close, Apollo made key baskets to hold on to its lead.
The end of the second quarter ended similarly to the first one. This time, Apollo’s senior Emmanuel Angok made a jumper at the last second, giving Apollo the 42-35 advantage at half.
“We were telling each other we’ve been doing this for too long, this can’t be our last one, not at home,” senior Patrick Flores said about going into the half down seven.
Tucson came out on fire to start the second half, going on a 12-0 run and taking the lead.
Flores was automatic from behind the arc, making three shots from that range, turning the crowd into a frenzy, and giving Tucson a 60-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“We can’t do it without them; we need them,” Flores said about the crowd.
Tucson had its way in the fourth quarter playing suffocating defense, forcing turnovers, and imposing its will on the boards.
Flores and Cunningham Hiadzi took over on offense to help the Badgers pull away.
Cunningham Hiadzi led all scorers with 26 points. Flores had 25.
Tucson will travel to No. 3 Chandler for a quarterfinal matchup Friday. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
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