Sports
Shaver a cool customer at shootout
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| A red-hot touch at the 3-point line earned 16-year old Jake Shaver of Willcox some nice hardware from the prep basketball championships in Prescott Vallley. (AINSLEE S. WITTIG /ARN) |
By Steve Reno/ARIZONA RANGE NEWS
Willcox was able to bring a title back from the 2A State basketball tournament after all. Jake Shaver, 16, won the individual title of 3-point shooting champion during the competition held at the finals of the 2A State tournament in Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley on Saturday.
"The arena was pretty nice," said Shaver, "but it was cold and almost quieter than gyms we are used to because it was so empty."
The Cowboys team fell one win short of qualifying for the final weekend of play in the tournament, but Shaver was still able to participate as an individual thanks to his recent qualifying as the three-point shootout champion of the 2A East Region. He buried the five others in local competition by earning 16 of a possible 18 points in his qualifying effort at Thatcher gym.
"Coach (Ted) Dunlap said the long shot is a dying art, and he's given me a lot of tips," said Shaver. "He oozes basketball knowledge."
He beat four other region champions by scoring 15 points in the chilly arena that is home to an ice hockey team.
He competed at halftime of the girls' 2A state title game played before a relatively sparse crowd in the large arena.
"Coach asked me if I could hear the cheers when shooting, but I couldn't. But I was like, 'Cool.'"
He was able to stay and watch the boy's title game that featured Westwind Prep, the Phoenix team that eliminated Willcox in the quarter-finals last week. Westwind fell to Scottsdale Christian 52-47.
Ainslee Wittig contributed to this article.
"The arena was pretty nice," said Shaver, "but it was cold and almost quieter than gyms we are used to because it was so empty."
The Cowboys team fell one win short of qualifying for the final weekend of play in the tournament, but Shaver was still able to participate as an individual thanks to his recent qualifying as the three-point shootout champion of the 2A East Region. He buried the five others in local competition by earning 16 of a possible 18 points in his qualifying effort at Thatcher gym.
"Coach (Ted) Dunlap said the long shot is a dying art, and he's given me a lot of tips," said Shaver. "He oozes basketball knowledge."
He beat four other region champions by scoring 15 points in the chilly arena that is home to an ice hockey team.
He competed at halftime of the girls' 2A state title game played before a relatively sparse crowd in the large arena.
"Coach asked me if I could hear the cheers when shooting, but I couldn't. But I was like, 'Cool.'"
He was able to stay and watch the boy's title game that featured Westwind Prep, the Phoenix team that eliminated Willcox in the quarter-finals last week. Westwind fell to Scottsdale Christian 52-47.
Ainslee Wittig contributed to this article.
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