Mesa Mountain was eager to test Corona del Sol Saturday (June 22) in the title game of the 3rd annual PrimeTime Summer Hoops Invitational.

With a resounding triumph over Mesa High in the semfinals and the knowledge they came close to toppling Corona in a recent summer matchup, the Toros were optimistic. Optimism went south in a hurry, however, as a 16-3 deficit with six minutes elapsed defined the afternoon as the talent-laden Aztecs eased to a 58-41 victory at Highland High School.

"Where do you focus your attention," Mountain View coach Gary Ernst said. "Their lineup can hurt you at every position. We got off to a terrible start and that didn't help. When you have a point guard in Casey (Benson) that may be the best in the state and lots of help around him, it's tough going against them."

Mountain View, the No. 7 seed of the eight teams on hand for the tournament, nearly beat top-seed Corona  earlier this summer. The Toros led for about three quarters before falling. A matchup Mountain View didn't win this time was the battle of the big men. Corona's Connor MaDougall, who had a 24-point outing in a 65-43 semifinal win over Gilbert, picked up where he left off in the final. The 6-foot-10 MacDougall, who transferred to Corona this spring and hopes to gain hardship eligibility for basketball in the fall, tallied 18 points. He spread them evenly (10 in the first half and eight in the second). He was able to post up, hit short jumpers and finish a couple buckets with offensive rebounds. He concluded his day with a dunk. 

"He was really really good today," Duane said. "He's taking his time, watching and letting things happen. He's not forcing things."

His counterpart, Mountain View's 6-9 post Payton Dastrup, was not a factor. Dastrup finished with four points and wasn't as active or aggressive as he was in leading the Toros to their semifinal win over Mesa. Dastrup poured in 22 points in the morning contest.

"I think he's worn out," Ernst said. "He''s been going at it hard all summer with games and camps. I'm hoping he's going to get away from it for a little while."

While MacDougall got the best of his matchup, he had plenty of help from his teammates. Duane started Benson, Cassius Peat, Jarrett Givens and Alaska transfer Dane Kuiper. Benson's perimeter shot was off  some, but he tallied 11 points and made his usual habit of penetrating the defense. Peat had eight points, all inside while Givens (eight points) and Kuiper 9six) offered scoring from outside. So did Russ Davis and Tyrell Henderson with a a 3-pointer apiece.

While Dastrup struggled, Mountain View was able to make a bit of a run late. The Toros sliced a 44-19 defict to 53-39 with 4:33 left to play. Keying the rally were guard Andy Sessions, a transfer from Red Mountain who will make a hardship appeal this fall and Josh Bribiescas. Sessions overcame a cut that took time to stop bleeding and idled him from play for a few minutes. He scored nine of his team-high 12 points during the run. Most of his points came via penetration. Bribiescas tallied all 10 of his points in the second half, including two threes.

Corona freshman guard Alex Barcello also took a shot to forehead that opened a gash and was going to require stitches after the game. Barcello appeared briefly in the first half prior to the  injury.