Enshrouding Sedona Red Rock High School, like a mist-soaked fog, is the mystery of the varsity basketball team’s identity.

The Scorpions have one more game to figure it out Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m., against River Valley High School, before play begins in Section I of Division IV.

Although head coach C.J. Sells did not return phone calls seeking comment on the 64-51 loss Monday,
Jan. 4, to Prescott High School at Talking Stick Resort Arena, the setback showed the Scorpions could be competitive playing with a larger school in the home of the Phoenix Suns.

“Overall, I thought people played really well,” said senior forward Wyatt Stevenson, who did not score against the taller Badgers. “A lot of people thought this was a team we were supposed to get smeared by, and we stayed with them the whole game.”

The game also, though, showed how to beat the Scorpions, 7-7 overall but unbeaten and ranked No. 5 in Division IV games prior to the neutral-site matchup with the Badgers, who will build on their No. 14 ranking in Division III with the win.

“If we do what we’re supposed to do, I know our game plan is a lot better than the other teams’,” Stevenson said. “We’ve just got to all be on the same page and hustle back downcourt on defense.

“Forget being tired — rest comes at the end.”

With the 6-foot, 2-inch Stevenson one of the team’s three tallest players — his brother, Dawson, edges him out at an inch taller — the Scorpions have encountered problems scoring in the paint and rebounding against taller teams. That was the case Jan. 4.

“Dawson had a few and-ones, mostly in the paint,” Stevenson said of his brother, who can also face up and hit the three-pointer on the baseline but was needed to provide points in the paint against Prescott. “He did a great job.”

Sophomore Wyatt Gregson had some nice post moves, Stevenson added, while juniors Randy Rodriguez and Walker Cox continued to convert some tough shots, as they did in the Scorpions’ previous game Dec. 17, a 60-55 home win over Camp Verde High School in which Cox led the Scorpions in scoring with 14.

“Randy would drive to the basket and do his little shot,” Stevenson said. “He would throw it up, and it went in.”

Sophomore Hayden Bruce is still recovering from an illness. But for the rest of the Scorpions, the long holiday break showed on the glass and against defensive pressure, as they were sluggish in both areas, Stevenson added.

“We were kind of out of shape,” the distance runner said. “Maybe it was a New Year’s party or just having a bag of chips after practice, but we wouldn’t do that in cross-country or track.”

Senior Prescott point guard Tyler Bell imposed his 6-foot, 5-inch edge on the glass and in the press, which the Badgers applied to the Scorpions all over the court for most of the contest.

“They pressed us; we did all right,” said assistant coach Pedro Ortega, whose son, Michael, is one of four guards in a balanced perimeter scoring attack. “They just kind of took it away from us at the end.”

Although the Scorpions stayed with Prescott in the first half, going into halftime down two points, the Badgers’ pressure and hustle to the glass wore them down in the fourth quarter.

“We pushed the ball, but towards the end, we kind of slowed down,” Stevenson said. “Both teams were going back and forth, but being outrebounded, especially their putbacks at the end, just cost us.”

A smaller team that gets out-hustled to rebounds and turns the ball over against defensive pressure isn’t going to win many games against a larger school, in every sense of the word.

“It came down to rebounds,” Stevenson said. “They’re a big team. They love to push the ball — they pressured most of the game — so it was one of those games where you’ve really got to fight for rebounds.

“You have to make the decision whether to stay in the game or not to.”

Making the decisions SRRHS made against the Badgers [9-4] won’t win many games for the Scorpions in their section, on the road or against their rival looking for revenge.

All three of those factors, plus a rejuvenated Javier Perez — one of the state’s best shooting guards — face SRRHS in its sectional opener Friday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. at Camp Verde High School.

“That’ll be a fun rivalry game; it always is,” Stevenson said. “The energy is very high.”

For more photos, please see the Wednesday, Jan. 6, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.