Ben Pokorny is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mountain Pointe High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX— Two days after a season-opening blowout win at Chandler, the Mountain Pointe Pride took a trip Thursday night up Interstate 10 and down Baseline Road to play the South Mountain Jaguars. The gym at South Mountain was well-populated with spectators. As expected, the Mountain Pointe Pride put on a show offensively, topping their 35-point win over Chandler by defeating the Jaguars, 97-40. 

After a brief delay to wipe up a spectator's spilled drink on the court, the opening tip was won by South Mountain, but unfortunately for the Jaguars, this would be one of their very few highlights in the first half of play. For the second game in a row, the Pride started with a double-digit scoring run. They led 11-0 only two minutes into the contest. With Mountain Pointe's pressure and physicality making the Jaguars look more like kittens halfway through the first quarter and frustration building for South Mountain, a comment by South Mountain guard Archie Graves made in front of an official drew the first of two technical fouls in the game.

With just under a minute to play in the first quarter and Mountain Pointe guard Mark Brown at the line, Pride guard Jayven Price was assessed a technical foul for what appeared to be a verbal exchange with two frustrated South Mountain players as they stood on the edge of the lane. This caused Mountain Pointe head Coach Kaimarr Price to call a time-out to address his team.

"I told them we hold ourselves to a certain standard no matter what and things like talking to the other team's bench is something we do not do," said Price. Jaguar guard Oscar Segura converted one of the subsequent technical free throws just before the first quarter ended and the Pride well ahead, 38-7. Pride players Mark Brown, Tanner Pate and Tru Washington all outscored South Mountain on their own in the first quarter. 

Coach Price and junior point guard Jayven Price joke back and forth after Jayven nearly threw down a monster dunk. (Ben Pokorny/AZPreps365)

The second quarter began with an increased intensity on defense by Mountain Pointe and featured a LeBron James-esque chase down block by Pride shooting guard, and ESPN top 60 recruit, Tru Washington. "We like to pressure teams as much as we can and create turnovers as much as possible," said Pride senior Tanner Pate.

 "We played a bit better," said coach Price afterward. "Just a bit too much reaching and some miscommunication." The points off turnovers for Mountain Pointe earned them a 50-point lead heading into halftime, with the score well in their favor at 71-21. 

The third quarter saw a slight improvement for South Mountain as the Jaguars were outscored by just six in the frame. Jaguars guard Memphis Noble had four points in the quarter and would finish the game as South Mountain's leading sorcerer with 10 points. The third was the last time any of the Mountain Pointe starters would be on the floor as they got a deserved eight-minute reprieve in the fourth quarter after scoring 90 points and allowing just 34 in 24 minutes of play.

With the running clock mercy rule in effect at the start of the fourth quarter due to the more than 30-point lead for the Pride, six players saw action off the bench for Mountain Pointe. Freshman Amous Price  tallied two of the Pride's seven points in the final eight minutes of regulation. 

The clock had just over one minute remaining in the game when coach Price brought his five players on the floor over to talk one last time. "We were talking about how it is important to be respectful in the handshake line and how things can get a little testy," said coach Price.

The Jaguars, having accepted the inevitable, dribbled out the clock to end the game and the Pride's dominance for at least the night. "We are on a mission," said Pate. "We only have one goal, and that is winning a state championship."

Though the state finals are still a few months away, the Mountain Pointe Pride are marching their way to Desert Financial Arena for the 6A championship, one blowout win at a time. The final at South Mountain: 97-40 in favor of the Pride. 

Mountain Pointe (2-0) will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. for their home opener; they will face the 0-2 Valley Vista Moonsoon.