Cochise men’s basketball wins in overtime thriller

Apaches take sole possession of ACCAC first place with a hard-fought 94-88 OT win.

The Cochise College men’s basketball team extended their current win streak to four games with a thrilling 94-88 overtime win against Central Arizona College on the road. Cochise jumped out to a 37-30 lead at halftime and led by 16 points in the second half. The Vaqueros of Central Arizona outplayed Cochise the last 10 minutes of the second half to tie the score at 75 as time expired. Freshman Stephen “Tank” Byard dominated the overtime period scoring 11 points in the five-minute overtime period. 

Byard led Cochise with 36 points and 11 rebounds in a huge game for the standout Freshman. Sophomore Jalun Trent added 10 points and 6 assists, while Sophomore Patrick Samoura continued his strong play with 11 rebounds in the Apache win. 

The Apaches are now 4-1 in ACCAC play and 4-2 overall. The game against Pima CC in Tucson has been postponed. 

“Our guys really did a great job of digging deep and finding a way to win tonight. Central Arizona outplayed us the last half of the second half and to their credit made plays,” said Head Coach Jerry Carrillo. “But our guys believed in themselves in the overtime period, and Tank was very effective at the rim. It was a very good road win while battling adversity.”

UP NEXT

Cochise will be back in action on Tuesday, March 2, on the road at ACCAC rival Eastern Arizona College for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. 

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