By Don Ketchum

Some might call it controlled aggression. Coach Luke Neibling prefers to call it organized chaos.

However you decide to describe it, Phoenix Arcadia’s style of play seems to work more often than not. And it provided the Titans with a 78-66 victory over Avondale Westview in Tuesday’s (Dec. 28) opening round of the Great Desert Shootout boys basketball tournament at Cave Creek Cactus Shadows.

The 20-team tournament continues Wednesday (Dec. 29) and Thursday (Dec. 30).

Arcadia relied heavily on the energy produced by its guards, Larry Lewis and Andrew Naderer. Lewis led all scorers with 29 points and Naderer had 20. Both are juniors but play with a lot of experience. Naderer is the son of Mike Naderer, a former star at Arcadia in the late 1970s and the University of Nebraska who went on to coach Arcadia for a brief period.

“We have experienced guards and they have a good feel for the game,’’ Neibling said.

The coach and his Class 4A Division II team knew that Class 5A Division II Westview would be a tough opponent.

“We knew they would be aggressive, and we had to match them,’’ Neibling said.

Westview rushed some of its shots, particularly in the first half, and that allowed Arcadia to build a nine-point lead at halftime.

The Arcadia advantage reached as high as 18 before Westview started a comeback that allowed the Knights to get as close as 11. Arcadia then pulled away again.

“We were boxing out and controlling the rebounds, and we ran pretty well,’’ Neibling said. “Every chance we can, we look to go (run).’’

Westview had three players score in double figures – Lanaire McDonald (19 points), Jamar Reed (16) and Aaron Beasley (11).