By Don Ketchum

Dewayne Russell is for real, and so is the Peoria High boys basketball team.

The senior point guard was all over the floor on Friday night (Nov. 25), scoring 31 points to lead the Panthers to a 53-40 victory over Phoenix Brophy Prep in the championship game of the Arrowhead Desert Classic at Glendale Ironwood High.

The 5-foot-11 Russell earned the tournament’s MVP award by scoring 17 points in the first half and 14 in the second.

Peoria’s defense also stepped up in the fourth quarter, holding Brophy to just six points.

Peoria is 4-0 after the tournament, having also defeated Avondale La Joya, Phoenix Sunnyslope and Avondale Westview. Brophy is 3-1.

Westview defeated Ironwood 72-60 in the third-place game and Buckeye edged Phoenix Thunderbird 50-48 for the consolation championship.

Peoria coach Mike Serwa and his players remembered playing in this tournament a year ago and suffering a lopsided loss to Brophy.

“They manhandled us,’’ Serwa recalled. “So that’s why tonight’s game was big for us.

“Our guys worked hard in the offseason. They wanted to prove they not only can be competitive, but beat teams.’’

Peoria is in the new Division II, Section II for basketball, while Brophy is in Division I, Section III.

Serwa also pointed to the inside play of 6-foot-11 senior post Stephen Hadley, who had eight blocked shots and seven rebounds.

“He’s been doing that the whole tournament,’’ Serwa said. “That’s 16 points that the opponent doesn’t put on the board.’’

And then there is Russell. The team relies heavily on his scoring – he shakes and he bakes – but he also sets up teammates with his passing and he is a solid defender.

Russell said he took over the game early because a few of his teammates told him the team didn’t feel like it was in a good rhythm.

“So I went out and tried to establish a rhythm,’’ he said.

It’s win now or else for Peoria, which has 10 seniors and only one sophomore on the roster.

“It means a lot to our program to beat a team like Brophy,’’ Russell said. “They have a good program. They’re almost always strong and they play well together. That’s what we try to do.

“We lost in the final four (Class 4A Division I) to Saguaro, and that gave us motivation. Most of us have played together since we were sophomores and juniors. We feel that it’s our time now.’’

Peoria led most of the first half and had a six-point lead early in the third quarter, but Brophy came back to take a 29-28 lead on a basket by 6-8 post player Tim Kempton, who led the Broncos with 18 points.

Peoria regained the lead shortly thereafter, and did not trail again. The Panthers iced the game over the final 1:12 by converting five of six free-throw attempts, one by Lawrence Pierce and two each by Goch Ajak and Russell.