Yuma Catholic wins inaugural “Battle on the Border” tournament

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Yuma Catholic's Battle on the Border Tournament concluded with a championship matchup between two Yuma County foes, as Yuma Catholic defeated Cibola 53-43 to claim the inaugural tournament title.

After a full day of anticipation, the Shamrocks and the Raiders met with the championship on the line, delivering a competitive and physical contest that lived up to the event’s name.

Yuma Catholic set the tone early behind the play of Darwin Welsh, who opened the scoring with a strong drive and finish. Cibola responded quickly, keeping pace as Landon Harmoney showcased his footwork in the high post, using a convincing fake before turning and finishing with a high-arching floater.

Welsh continued to orchestrate the Shamrocks' offense, finding Noe Zamudio on the wing for a three-pointer that extended Yuma Catholic's early lead. Moments later, Welsh capitalized himself, knocking down a catch-and-shoot jumper from deep range.

Cibola refused to let the game slip away, however. Dominic Montialli answered with a three-pointer of his own, and the Raiders found a steady spark in Ricardo Rosales.

Rosales attacked the basket repeatedly, drawing contact and converting multiple and-one opportunities to keep Cibola within striking distance. His aggressiveness helped narrow the gap as the Shamrocks maintained a slim advantage.

Alek Carrazco also made his presence felt for Yuma Catholic, battling on the offensive glass and converting a key put-back to sustain momentum late in the fourth quarter.

Despite Cibola's efforts, Yuma Catholic remained composed down the stretch. The Shamrocks relied on their depth, rebounding, and disciplined execution to fend off the Raiders' late push and close out the 10-point victory.

Following the win, Yuma Catholic head coach Thurman Schaetzle praised his team's ability to handle adversity and credited both leadership and depth for the championship performance.

"I thought last night we dealt with some really good adversity, handled it well,” Schaetzle said. "I thought we had some good leadership, and it was infectious and spread amongst our team, and it carried over today. Some of it wasn't pretty, but the perseverance is awesome. I didn't think we ever really got rattled. Our seniors have been good in practice with that, and I thought it carried over to the game. We've got some really good depth, so if someone's tired and needs a sub, there is no drop-off with the bench. I think our roster is outstanding in talent depth."

The championship run was capped by individual recognition for Darwin Welsh, who was named to the All-Tournament Team and earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.

Welsh averaged 13 points, 2.5 assists, and nearly two steals per game during the tournament.