Derrian Carter is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover South Mountain for AZPreps365.com

PEORIA— In front of an electric student section Tuesday night, the No. 8 Cactus Cobras defeated the No. 9 Tucson Sahuaro Cougars 59-53 in the first round of the 4A boys basketball playoffs.

After the Cougars embarked on a 15-4 run to tie the game with 1:40 left, the Cobras countered with their own 6-0 run led by the grit of sophomore center Bradey Henige and senior guard Rob Jenkins.

Henige made a free throw, and Jenkins stole the ball from a Cougar player, which led to an offensive rebound and left-handed layup by Henige. Jenkins capped off the run by intercepting a pass and emphatically slamming a two-handed dunk to put the Cobras up 56-50.

“(Cougars’ guard Titus Palmer) was having a good game, and I knew they were going to get him the ball,” Jenkins said. “I face-guarded, saw (the pass) out the corner of my eye, tipped it and from there, it was all she wrote.”

Cactus (18-8) was in control from there and won its first playoff game since 2008.

“(Tonight) was amazing,” Cobras coach Dirk Walker said. “(This win is) not just for our team. It's for the whole school. It's so important for the community to get Cactus basketball on the map again.”

Now the Cobras travel southeast down I-10 to play Tucson's top team, No. 1 seed Salpointe Catholic (24-2), for a 4A quarterfinal game Friday night.

Tuesday night was the Cobras' first home playoff game in more than two decades.

“(The crowd) was awesome,” Walker said. “When we let them tie it up, they sparked us. Their energy got our guys going, (and we) responded well. It was a fun one tonight.”

With less than four minutes in the third quarter, the Cobras went on a 14-5 run, sparked by Jenkins’ old-fashioned three-point play. He drove into two Cougars’ defenders in the paint, forced contact and banked in a jumper.

Establishing its offensive rhythm, Cactus scored points in transition by finding open players for layups, three pointers and mid-range shots and crashing the boards for second-chance points.

The Cobras scored four second-chance points and had three assists, and Henige ended the quarter with a put back layup buzzer beater to make the score 46-33. 

“We really struggled on the boards,” Cougars coach James Henry said. “We needed a big board (late), and we just couldn't come up with it.”

“The third quarter was the difference,” Walker said. “We were able to get out and go, and (it) opened (the score) up a little to give us some breathing room.”

The 6'11" Henige was a problem for Sahuaro (18-7) all night, impacting the game on both ends of the floor. He scored Cactus’ first 13 points, grabbing offensive rebounds, scoring layups and converting a three-point play.

When Sahuaro doubled Henige, he continued his dominant play by punishing the Cougars on the boards and making baskets with multiple defenders on him.

“(My teammates) made a lot of entry passes to me,” Henige said. “We were just playing fast-paced. I don’t think they were ready for our fast pace.”

On defense, Henige’s gigantic presence flashed like a warning sign, deterring players from entering the paint. His height and length forced Sahuaro to be patient on offense, pulling out of layup opportunities when he roamed the area. Henige ended the night with 28 points and three blocks.

Despite the victory, the Cobras struggled at the free-throw line, shooting eight of 22. Walker is optimistic that his team will overcome its “Achilles’ heel.”

"(Free throws are) going to decide games,” he said. “We (have) to get confident stepping up there and know it’s going to go in.”