It's hard to know who the standout will be night to night for Gilbert's boys basketball team. The Tigers don't know who it will be and frankly they don't care. Someone always steps up at a key time or a full game on this unselfish squad.

Junior guard Paul Maldonado guided a second-quarter comeback that helped put No. 2 Gilbert back in front and in control leading the Tigers to a 48-38 victory over No. 8 Williams Field in a 5A San Tan Region game at The Jungle.

Gilbert won its 20th game of the season and 18th in a row as it closes in on the San Tan Region title. Gilbert is 20-1 overall, 13-0 in power-ranking games and 6-0 in region. Williams Field has played Gilbert tougher than anyone in the region thus far, but owns a pair of double-digit losses nonetheless. Williams Field is 11-10 overall, 9-5 prg and 3-3 in region play.

Jake Ehmann was Gilbert's top scorer with 14 points and Maldonado was right behind with 13. Maldonado unknown to him, was bidding to be the Tigers' fifth player to lead the team in scoring in each of the last five games. Carson Towt, Doc Self, Ehmann and Brycen Long had the honors the previous four.

Maldonado played with more energy than any player on the floor in this one. He scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half -- including a pair of threes in the second period. Those clutch hoops combined with the Tigers' best quarter of the game (outscoring Williams Field 14-2) reversed an 18-11 first-period deficit.

"Paul had a nice game and did a lot for us," Gilbert coach Jay Caserio said. "He took the ball hard to basket and created shots for other guys. Probably had three or four assists, maybe more. He did most of the work guarding Plewe who hurt us early with his shooting."

Plewe led Williams Field with 14 points and hit for 10 of those in the opening period. He didn' score in the second quarter. Gilbert improved its five-point halftime lead to 39-32 after three quarters  Williams Field's Tanner Crawford scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to pull the Black Hawks within five, but they never got closer.

"Williams Field has a  nice team," Caserio said. "They have two bigs that start and a third that gives them some muscle. They have a point guard that's a shot maker and they can shoot from outside. They are tough to defend. Both games with them we've had to scrap in the fourth quarter to win or hold a lead."

Gilbert can move closer to sewing up the region title on Friday on the road with Casteel. Williams Field hosts Maricopa on Friday and will work to stay in the top 8 of the power rankings the rest of the way.