2018-2019 – Season Summary
The 2018-2019 varsity basketball team was composed of eight seniors (Sammy Cibulka, Jaden Cons, Jack Eden, Ryan Gilburne, Dalton Hogan, Alec Owen, Ethan Smith, and Marques White), six juniors (Jesus Botiller, Arnold Dates, Joe Feeney, Logen Howard, Basil Ribakare, and Zach Williams), and one sophomore (Kayden Davis). Senior guard Marques White was the only returning starter from the 2017-2018 team that went 26-2 and made it to the state semifinals, so the off-season was particularly important for this group’s development as they prepared to tackle the most difficult schedule in the entire state of Arizona.
After losing the first two games of the year on the road, Brophy got its first win in a 76-59 victory over perennial contender Desert Vista at home on December 4th. The Broncos then headed to the 45th Annual Father Barry Classic hosted by Jesuit High School in Sacramento, CA from December 6th-8th. Players were hosted by families of Jesuit High’s students, and spent three days competing against top private schools from California. Although the team lost three games at the tournament, the experience of being out-of-state together and competing well against top teams from California proved to be a catalyst for greater success over the remainder of the season. Senior guard Ryan Gilburne was named to the All-Tournament team for his play throughout the tournament, which included a 27-point performance in the opening game against Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, CA).
Following their return from the Fr. Barry Classic, the basketball team won seven of its next nine games. Of particular note during that hot streak was a win over then #1 ranked Mountain Pointe, which involved Brophy overcoming a twelve point deficit with less than three minutes to play in the game. Key performers in that victory were Marques White, 17 points and 7 assists, and junior guard/forward Joe Feeney, 25 points and 5 rebounds. Additionally, Brophy defeated eventual state runner-up Chaparral, 65-58, during that mid-season run and finished 3-1 at the 2018 VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge with wins over Rancho Solano Prep (Scottsdale, AZ), Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, CA), and 5A state runner-up Millennium (Goodyear, AZ). Marques White was named the “Lockdown Defender” of the showcase and junior guard/forward Arnold Dates was named to the All-Tournament Team.
As the basketball season progressed into January, one of the most exciting matchups of the season came when Brophy faced off against Perry High School during Premier Region play. The first game between the two teams took place at Brophy and featured a back-and-forth match-up versus the then #3 ranked Pumas. With the Broncos down by four points with less than a minute to play, the team was able to come back and force the game into overtime. It continued into a second and then a third overtime before senior guard Ethan Smith ended the contest on a three-pointer at the buzzer! Several weeks later, the two teams faced off again down at Perry and once again ended up in triple overtime. Unfortunately, Perry won this second contest, but the six overtime periods between the two games was a unique part of the 2018-2019 season.
Ultimately, the Broncos completed their challenging schedule with a 10-8 record and a #8 ranking out of 38 teams in 6A. That regular season finish gave them a first round bye in the state playoffs for the third year in a row. In their opening tournament game, Brophy played at home in a rematch against the #9 seed, Desert Vista. In this second matchup of the season, scoring was much more difficult to come by as the Thunder tried to slow the game down and prevent Brophy from getting out into transition offensively. Trailing by six entering the fourth quarter, the Broncos began to press full court and speed up the pace of play. Brophy outscored Desert Vista 21-5 in the final period and emerged with a ten-point victory. Junior post Basil Ribakare helped to key this playoff win with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Joining him as a scoring leader for the game was junior guard/forward Joe Feeney who also scored 11 points. This second round win returned the team to the state quarterfinals where they faced Pinnacle, the defending 6A state champion. Unfortunately, Brophy lost that next game and finished the season with a 14-13 overall record, which included eight wins against the top ten teams in 6A.
The entire coaching staff would like to thank all of the 2018-2019 Brophy basketball players and families for their hard work, dedication, and support, particularly the eight senior players as well as the three seniors—Brooks Fanger, Bryce Grove, and Brody Popham—who helped the team in various capacities. The Class of 2019 helped to maintain the culture of Brophy basketball that has been established over the last four years and served as fantastic leaders and role models for the next generation of Brophy players. Also, special congratulations are extended to Premier Region 1st Team selection Marques White (‘19), Premier Region 2nd Team selection Arnold Dates (‘20), and Premier Region Honorable Mention selections Joe Feeney (‘20) and Ryan Gilburne (‘19). White was also named to the 6A All-Conference 2nd Team.
2018-2019 – Roster
Director of Basketball Operations: Brooks Fanger, ’19 and Sam Mills, ’22
Special Assistant to the Coaching Staff: Brody Popham, ’19
Video Manager: Bryce Grove, ’19
