In a rivalry matchup, the Sedona Red Rock High boys basketball team fell 68-52 to Camp Verde on Friday, Jan. 18.

Camp Verde wins the season series over Sedona for the first time since 2015, first defeating the Scorpions this season 69-24 on Dec. 21.

Sedona had won the previous seven head-to-head matchups heading into this season.

With the loss, Sedona falls to 1-12 this season and 1-9 in conference play.

The Scorpions are currently eighth in the 2A Central region at 1-7 in regional play and have lost 12 consecutive games.

Cowboys guard Jason Collier led all scorers with 21 points on 7-15 shooting and 5-10 from 3-point range.

“ We played hard tonight and I am very happy with our effort,” Sedona coach Paul Bain said. “We had our chances but they are an extremely good basketball team and they played better tonight.”

Scorpions guard Jackson Coughlin led the Scorpions with 14 points.

“The kids have been playing hard over the last week and a half and I appreciate their efforts,” Bain said. “They just need to continue playing hard over the next couple of weeks.”

Camp Verde started off hot and took a 5-0 lead over Sedona in the opening minutes.

Scorpions forward Joey Johnson countered with a 3-pointer at the other end to halt Camp Verde’s momentum.

Though Camp Verde led the entire first quarter, the Cowboys were unable to put Sedona away early on.

After one quarter Camp Verde led Sedona 23-19.

Sedona opened the second quarter on a 6-2 run, capped by Micha Johnson finding Evan Favorite to tie the game at 25.

Camp Verde answered back by putting up six straight points with Cowboys guard Jose Salas-Zarilla leading the charge.

At halftime, Sedona trailed Camp Verde 37-27.

The Scorpions came out scorching to start the third quarter as Sedona quickly cut Camp Verde’s lead to 37-32.

Salas-Zarilla and Collier answered back for the Cowboys with seven straight points to extend Camp Verde’s lead to 44-32.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Camp Verde led the Scorpions 48-40.

While the Scorpions fought hard in the second half, Camp Verde began to gain separation from Sedona.

The Cowboys offense came through in the fourth quarter with 20 points to defeat Sedona 68-52.

Camp Verde extended their winning streak to nine games and improved to 19-2 this year.

C.J. Bast registered his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds, good for first in 2A Central.

Joey Johnson scored 11 points and played a key role against the Cowboys.

“Joey has the potential to do really well and has made a big difference over the last couple of weeks,” Bain said. “He has been a hard worker for us all season and can be great for us.”

Camp Verde played the passing lanes well on Jan. 18, recording 17 steals against Sedona.

“Keeping Camp Verde off the glass was a problem for us but our biggest issue tonight was our turnovers,” Bain said. “They are a small team that likes to get out and run and you cannot afford to give them extra possessions.”

I thought Evan gave us a great effort tonight and did a solid job at moving the ball on offense,” Bain said.

Micha Johnson led the Scorpions with 13 points

“Micha had a bad knee and he went hard tonight so it was an all around great effort tonight from the team,” Bain said.

The Scorpions’ next home game is Saturday, Jan. 26, when Sedona hosts Glendale Preparatory Academy.

Tipoff is at 5 p.m. and comes after the conclusionof the girls basketball game.
Senior night for Sedona is Friday, Feb. 1, when the Scorpions host Northland Preparatory Academy. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.