For one half, San Tan Charter's season was on the ropes. For the other, the Roadrunners were suffocating. Trailing by 11 at the break, San Tan Charter unleashed a relentless full-court press that held Phoenix Country Day to just eight second-half points, storming back for a 57-36 Copper Division semifinal win Friday at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe.
The Eagles owned the first half. Phoenix Country Day pushed the tempo, knocked down shots and carried a 28-17 lead into the locker room, leaving the Roadrunners staring at the largest deficit of their tournament run.
Whatever was said at halftime, the answer was defense. San Tan Charter came out in a full-court press diamond with senior Jachin Reynolds manning the front, and the look wreaked havoc on the Eagles from the opening possession of the third quarter. Reynolds was everywhere โ disrupting the inbounds, jumping passing lanes and turning steals into runouts โ and his energy at the point of the press set the tone for a second half the Eagles never solved. He finished with 10 points, six rebounds and six steals.
The press strangled Phoenix Country Day's offense. The Eagles managed just four points in the third quarter and four more in the fourth, watching an 11-point cushion evaporate as the Roadrunners flipped the game on its head.
Peyton Lubash powered the comeback on the other end, pouring in a game-high 17 points behind three three-pointers and adding four steals and a team-high nine deflections as San Tan turned defense into transition offense. Dylan Vargas controlled the paint with 12 points and eight rebounds, and the supporting cast did its part โ Kristo Jackson scored six, Bryce Whiting and Notorious Street added five apiece, and Jase Benjamin chipped in two points with a block and a steal.
When the buzzer sounded, an 11-point halftime hole had become a 21-point victory โ and the Roadrunners had punched their ticket to the AIA Copper Division championship game against four-time defending champion Valley Christian.