Dobson cruises past Shamrocks in 1st RD

Juhlawnei Stone and the Dobson Mustangs were too strong and athletic for the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks in the first round of the Southwest Rotary Classic at Gila Ridge High School.

Stone, a 6-foot-7 forward who recently signed to play at California Baptist University, simply overmatched each defender and muscled his way to 28 points in the Mustangs 62-43 victory Thursday.

“We knew coming in that’s what we would have to deal with,” Yuma Catholic coach Bret Felsenthal said. “He’s a load. There’s a reason he’s got a college scholarship. We struggled containing him.”

The Mustangs got off to a quick start and led 13-5 before taking a 33-21 lead at the half.

Shots weren’t falling offensively for the Shamrocks, despite getting favorable looks at the basket.

Guard Carlos Delgado dropped 15 points in Tuesday’s season opener at Lake Havasu, but struggled all night Thursday in the 19-point loss. The senior finished with four points and made 1 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc. He was 1-for-13 from the field for the game.

“I like the shots we got,” Felsenthal said. “Our best shooter (Delgado) shot plenty and I’ll take those shots.”

Most of the Shamrocks’ buckets came from inside the paint with Zach Grober finishing with 10 points. Football star, and now the point guard of the basketball team, Rakai Malone distributed the ball all night, tallying four assists to go with six points.

“We get a lot of our shots off the drive and kick,” Felsenthal said. “Our point guard (Malone) is able to penetrate pretty well and we surround him with shooters. We just didn’t hit them tonight.”

In the second half, the Shamrocks pulled within single digits on several occasions, but the outside