Arizona Western hoops primed for postseason run

Arizona Western basketball is ready to take on Cochise in the opening round of the conference tournament.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - March is the month of college basketball. In the month of March teams need to get hot and play their best basketball. That is exactly what the Arizona Western Matador's are looking to do with the ACCAC tournament tipping off Thursday.

"No deposit, no return," AWC head coach Kyle Isaacs said. "We always are trying to make deposits from basically when they get here August 15th until. Basically right now, and now is the time to cash in our returns."

This year's Matador's team has developed a tough and gritty identity on both ends of the floor, an identity only possible by coming together as a unit.

"Since I've been the head coach, this is the closest knit team to a brotherhood that we've had without question," Isaacs said.

"Everybody's always together and not like this group is here this group over here," sophomore forward Edwin Suarez said. "We love each other."

Much of AWC's playoff success will fall on the shoulders of Suarez, the ACCAC Player of the Year.

"We really need him to be player of the year. for whatever amount of games that we have left," Isaacs said. "If he can do that. We'll have a really good opportunity [in any game]."

This season, Suarez has dominated on both ends of the floor for the Matadors averaging 13.7 points and 8.7 points per game. The Dominican Republic native has established himself as not only the leader in the locker room, but also on campus.

"We call him the godfather of the dorms because there are a lot of Spanish speaking students here on campus," Isaacs said. "He kind of runs the dorms in kind of a godfather fashion, and we call him the Don over there."

The Matadors are 1-2 this season against Cochise. Both games were back and forth down to the wire showdowns, and tomorrow expects to be just the same.

"If we could make some outside shots, this team's got a really good opportunity because we do the dirty work," Isaacs said. "It always starts with transition defense and guarding the three point line and rebounding like crazy against them."

Both losses to Cochise were on the road.

"You gotta be tougher than them," Suarez said. "We are definitely gonna be toughing tomorrow and then on Saturday."

Tip off at Cochise College is set for 7 PM MST. The winner books their ticket to the ACCAC Championship Game.