2015-2016 – Season Summary
The 2015-2016 varsity basketball team was composed of three seniors (Carter Beaulieu, Bo Brunkhorst, and Mike Feeney), seven juniors (Curtis Clemmensen, Sean Dunn, Sean Even, Matthew Kempton, Ryan Meza, Carlos Saucedo, and Drew Shear), and two sophomores (Jaxson Baker and Ian Burke). With only four players returning with varsity experience, but the potential for a wide open state tournament, the team set its sights on improving throughout the season and earning at least one playoff win. The Broncos got off to a great start by winning its first three games in the “Hoospgiving” Tournament at Sunnyslope over Thanksgiving before falling to the host school in the championship game. The Broncos took a brief lead in the final minute after a three-pointer by junior Ryan Meza, who was named to the all-tournament first-team, but ultimately lost 52-50.
Prior to Christmas break, the Broncos compiled a 3-4 record with a highlight victory coming against Westview at Talking Stick Resort Arena. After losing to Westview in the 2014-2015 playoffs, the Broncos were eager to have a chance to play the Knights again. Unfortunately, turnovers and missed shots led to a 16-point deficit early in the second half. In the late 3rd quarter, however, the Broncos came alive with pressure defense and solid team play. Down one point with less than thirty seconds left, the Broncos held for the final possession and Carlos Saucedo hit the game-winner with three seconds to play off of an offensive rebound and kickout. Following that exciting 50-49 win, BCP entered the McClintock Holiday Shootout hoping to better their first round loss from the previous season. In their first game, they executed on all cylinders and defeated Arcadia 79-58. The next game, the Broncos were down only three points early in the 4th quarter against eventual tournament and state champion Mesa High, but lost the game by double digits. The Broncos went 1-1 through the rest of the tournament and emerged in 6th place. Over the second half of the regular season, BCP finished 6-3 in section play, which was good enough to earn 4th place out of ten teams in Division I, Section II. Key to the Broncos’ success down the stretch was the play of junior guard/forward Matthew Kempton who played with a fiery competitive spirit and led the team in points, rebounds, and assists. Additionally, the Broncos were aided by the continued development of sophomore guard Ian Burke, who won the team’s “Most Improved Player” award at the end of the season.
Ultimately, the Broncos completed one of the most challenging schedules in the state with a 9-10 record, which helped them to finish 17th out of 27 teams in Division I. To begin the state tournament, Brophy played on the road against the #16 seed, Mountain Pointe. After trailing for most of the game, Brophy found itself down nine points with less than two minutes to play. As they had all year, the Broncos fought back and rattled off eight unanswered points. Trailing by one, the Broncos put themselves into position to win at the end of the game, but fell just short by a final score of 62-59. The entire coaching staff would like to thank all of the 2015-2016 Brophy basketball players and families for their hard work, dedication, and support, particularly the three seniors. The Class of 2016 helped to lay the foundation for a new generation of Brophy basketball players, and they will be greatly missed.
2015-2016 – Roster
Direction of Basketball Operations: John Zacher, ’17
Video Manager: George Rivera, ’17
2015-2016 – Schedule
