Ian Sacks is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Saint Mary’s for AZPreps365.com.

PHOENIX – Saint’s Mary’s suffocating pressure defense did not let up all night, which helped propel the Knights to a 105-35 blowout victory over Shadow Mountain at home Thursday.

Knight coach Damin Lopez’s 1-2-2 full-court defense made it difficult for the Matadors to advance past midcourt.

“You gotta keep teams off balance,” Lopez said. “That’s what we try to aim to do, and we do pressure the ball quite a bit.”

Lopez's team compiled 20 steals off the pressure applied primarily by sophomore Styles Phipps and senior Garrison Phelps. As a result, Saint Mary’s got out in transition and converted on 12 dunks, including two alley-oops.

The Knights (13-6) jumped out to a 28-6 lead after the first quarter and held a 58-21 advantage at halftime. In the third quarter, they ballooned the lead to 90-32, which accomplished one of the Knights’ goals entering the game. St. Mary's had set out to reach the 90-point plateau by the end of the third quarter, and they hit it on a dunk by senior Jeremiah Cherry at the buzzer to end the quarter.

“They didn’t run up the score,” Shadow Mountain coach Curtis Millage said. “They played until the horn went off. That’s what I teach my guys: play until the horn goes off. No matter what the score is, you just have to keep playing because you never know if it’s your last time playing this game.”

Cherry and Phipps combined for almost half of the Knights’ points. Cherry nearly outscored Shadow Mountain on his own as he registered a 30-point, 12-rebound double-double. He also rattled the rim for seven dunks.

“It’s fun because we just run up and down, get dunks, fastbreaks, lobs,” Cherry said of the fast-paced style. “I love it.”

Phipps recorded 25 points, seven steals, four rebounds and four assists. He scored 19 points in the first half.

Knights’ sophomore Styles Phipps knocked down a pair of 3-pointers en route to a 25-point performance. He scored 10 in the first quarter and nine in the second. (Photo by Ian Sacks)

Phelps rounded out the list of Knights in double figures as he finished with 18 points and five assists. He came out of the gate hot with eight of Saint Mary’s first 17 points.

Shadow Mountain (3-19) was led by senior Kenny Chamberlain, who scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds. Junior Gabriel Bufford scored 11 points.

“We played with a lot of heart,” Millage said. “We’ve been battling this whole season. [We’re] just trying to get everyone to develop. It’s as young team, but they’re working. It’s a good progress.”

Even with the lopsided victory, Saint Mary's ninth straight win, Lopez reminded his team about taking care of the basics.

“The things we’ve been talking about lately is that the small things matter,” he said. “They can matter for you in a positive way, but they can also go against you if you’re not doing the small things … It all adds up, whether it’s positive for you or negative. That’s one of the things we’ve really been trying to tell these guys. You want positive things to happen, so do all the small things in a positive way.”

Up next for Saint Mary’s, the Knights (10-2) are slated to fly to Atlanta to take on Milton (GA) Saturday at 7 p.m. MST. Shadow Mountain is scheduled to host three home games to close out the regular season. Its homestand begins with Thunderbird Tuesday at 7 p.m.