Jack Pierson is a Cronkite ASU journalism student assigned to cover Tempe Preparatory Academy for AZPreps365.com

TEMPE— The Tempe Prep Knights hosted Sequoia Pathway Academy on Wednesday for their home-opener. The Knights defeated the Pumas 60-41 in the 1A battle and were dominant most of the night on both ends of the floor.

Tempe Prep played with a level of physicality that the Pumas struggled to match in the first quarter at Tempe Prep Gymnasium. The Knights trapped and pressured the opposing ball-handler creating several turnovers and opportunities to score in transition.

“You gotta be aggressive on defense,” said Tempe Prep head coach David Lane. “When you be aggressive, you can’t really make too many mistakes on defense as long as you play hard, and that’s what worked for us.”

Although Tempe Prep would have preferred a better shooting night, it was able to dominate the glass. The Knights racked up numerous rebounds  and were especially excellent at crashing the offensive boards to generate second-chance opportunities.

“Getting offensive rebounds gives us more opportunities to score,” said senior guard Gabriel Huerta McWhirter. “That’s what separates teams from winning and losing, just those offensive rebounds and more possessions to score.”

Both teams brought some full-court pressure throughout the game, trying to wear down the opponent and force turnovers. This pressure created moments of chaos and possessions where the two teams were trading turnovers.

Huerta McWhirter was outstanding on both ends of court, leading the Knights in scoring with 17 points. McWhirter played with energy that stood out to those who watched.

Tempe Prep Gymansium(Jack Pierson/AZPreps365)

“Gabe is one of those kids where he can score 25 a night,” said Tempe Prep athletic director Doug Seagrave. “He is very unselfish. Gabe is one of those guys that can take it to the rim well and is aggressive going to the basket. He can shoot the three as well.”

Huerta McWhirter, listed at 6'0", not only led the team statistically, he also was the team’s leader on the mental side of the game. He encouraged his teammates and never lost his cool when the game got scrappy. McWhirter was a positive influence on his team the entire night.

Tempe Prep had three players who scored in double-digits: McWhirter, James Philipps and Christopher Milner. The three did it in different fashion. Milner scored most of his points around the rim, Philipps was successful in transition, and McWhirter scored on all three levels.

“Our kids are tenacious, they’re tough kids and they get after you,” said Seagrave. “They share the ball as a team and are really fun to watch. Coach has done a great job and we got great kids so we are really optimistic in the 1A conference.”

Tempe Prep moves to 2-0 on the fresh season and will play Friday against Arete Prep. The Knights will have to improve their shot making especially around the rim. The team missed over 10 layups Wednesday.

“We are going to focus a lot on the layups and learning how to keep our head up,” said Lane.