Majok Deng, Evan Nelson carry Salpointe Catholic basketball into 4A final

Richard Obert
The Republic | azcentral.com
Salpointe's Evan Nelson after Friday's win.

Majok Deng trusted his close friend, whom he just eliminated from the state tournament.

The Tucson Salpointe Catholic junior wing worked out Thursday night with Tucson Catalina Foothills senior guard Sam Beskind, who gave him some advice.

"He was the one who said, 'You've got this, just believe in your shot,''' Deng said. "He said, 'You've taken a thousand shots. When you miss one, just pick yourself up.' I appreciated that."

Deng even made 3-pointers while he was fouled on Friday night.

He made two four-point plays, including one in overtime that helped No. 11-seed Salpointe overcome No. 2 Buckeye and move it into the 4A state championship game for the second year in a row with an 80-75 victory at Grand Canyon University Arena.

As great as Deng was, he needed help. And he got it big time from sophomore point guard Evan Nelson, who had 31 points and 12 rebounds and two blocks. Deng led Salpointe with 33 points, making 6 of 14 3-pointers. He also had 12 rebounds.

While doing an interview, Deng put his arm around Nelson's neck after he came over.

"In the beginning, when I didn't have him, I couldn't go anywhere," Deng said about Nelson, who had to wait until halfway through the season before becoming eligible after his transfer from Marana Mountain View. "Just having him now means a lot."

 

Takeaways

  • Salpointe (15-15), winner of its last 10 games, is 12-1 with Nelson in the lineup. He has totally revamped a team that went from bad to great. He opens the floor for everybody, especially for Deng, who isn't counted on to score every time. Junior Luke Rosenblatt also gives Salpointe a perimeter scorer. He made 3 of 5 3-pointers. But in the end, the ball goes through either Nelson or Deng. "All the respect to those guys," Nelson said of Buckeye. "They didn't back down. They gave us all we could handle."
  • Otis Frazier III, a 6-5 junior wing, showed he is one of the state's better players with a solid all-around game. He had 26 points, nine rebounds and three steals to lead Buckeye (24-5). Adam Hamilton added 10 rebounds, and Tay Boothman had 16 points and four steals. But after guard Elias Anderson (13 points) fouled out with 3:30 left in overtime, Buckeye lost a talented creator on offense.
  • After that, Deng took over. He hit a 3 and was fouled with 1:53 left. His free throw gave Salpointe a 73-71 lead. With 29 seconds left, Deng converted a three-point play after being fouled on a drive. Deng scored 10 points in the final 1:53 of OT.

Final word

"We fought through a lot of adversity. We had a lot of things not go our way in the first half (of the season). But we knew we should be here. And we worked hard to be here. We made it this far, we're not going to lay down for anybody." – Nelson

Up next

Salpointe could have its rematch with No.1 Phoenix Shadow Mountain on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at GCU Arena for the state championship. Shadow Mountain first had to beat Phoenix Moon Valley in the later semifinal Friday.

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