Trey Jordan is a sophomore at Arizona State University assigned to cover Corona del Sol High School for AZpreps365.com

Corona del Sol boys basketball team took down Desert Vista last Thursday despite sloppy play on the offensive end.

“We didn’t shoot that well, but shooting will come and go,” said senior Aztec guard Brandon Lee. “We ride our defense all the way, and that’s what our motto is. Our defense is top!”

Corona del Sol’s active hands helped them come away with 10 steals and seven blocks on their way to a 51-50 win on senior night. Aztecs 6’9” center Ollie Hinder was an important piece of the defensive puzzle, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking four shots.

In the final minutes, Desert Vista cut an 8-point lead to 2, after back-to-back 3-pointers. Corona del Sol head coach Neil MacDonald called a timeout to set up his players for the final nine seconds. But when they returned to the court, the scoreboard was turned off.

After five minutes of trying, officials gave up on the clock and thought of a solution. They had the clock operator armed with a towel to throw and a stopwatch to determine the end of the game.

“I don’t know how you prepare ‘em for that. We’ve never had it happen before,” said MacDonald. “Kind of like COVID. How do you prepare for a pandemic? We just told them to stay loose and do what we do.”

Corona del Sol did just that on the shoulders of senior Quinn Thorne, who at one point went on a 7-0 run by himself.

“I think when we all bring energy, it’s everything, especially us seniors,” said Thorne, who finished with 18 points, 2 steals, and one assist. “Nobody was about themselves. Everybody just wanted to win the game.”

Senior night was unique for Brandon Lee who got to play alongside his two younger brothers, Preston and Jordan.

“I don’t know how many other families get to play with their brothers, but it’s pretty special,” Lee said. “I remember playing in the basement…so it’s very special to play with all my brothers.”