The preliminary visit was good enough that Michigan head coach John Beilein will take a look-see next week.

Fuller offered another worthy performance Wednesday night, scoring 33 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 71-59 Mesa triumph over Dobson.

Mesa (12-7, 3-0) used a hot-shooting first half (56 percent) from the field to build a 39-30 lead. Fuller was a big part of that, hitting 7 of his 12 field-goal attempts. For the night, he finished 12 of 19. The Jackrabbits have now won five games in a row.

“Aaron had a nice game,” Mesa coach Shane Burcar said. “I think people are realizing he can play.”

Fuller tallied 28 of his points in the first three periods as Mesa took a 54-43 lead into the final period.

The Jackrabbits’ biggest lead, 15 points (54-39), did melt in the final quarter to 58-55 with 3 1/2 minutes to play. Dobson’s Melvin Douglas IV, Taylor Johnson and reserve Zach Schmidt keyed the run that pulled the Mustangs within striking distance.

With Dobson (11-9, 2-2) knocking on the door in an attempt to tie or take the lead, Mesa guard Ryan Salcedo supplied the offensive impetus to ward off the Mustangs.

Salcedo, about the only Jackrabbit who didn’t have a hot hand in the game, had connected on just 2 of his 9 shots from the field early in the final period. A pair of shots from outside — one a 3-pointer — and a layup pushed the margin to 65-55 with 2:18 left. Salcedo capped a good fourth quarter by feeding Beau Gardner for a layup in transition with 1:20 left to seal the outcome.

Salcedo finished with 15 points, and Donte Medder added 12. Medder experienced foul trouble for the second time this week. He missed most of the third quarter Monday against Pinnacle; Wednesday he fouled out with 4:37 to play in the game.

“Ryan had a tough game up until the last quarter,” Burcar said, noting seven turnovers. “But he stepped up when we needed it. If we take better care of the ball, though, we don’t get in that situation.”

Dobson was led by Douglas IV and sophomore guard Jarrett Green with 10 points each. Green exited the game a couple of minutes into the third period after aggravating a knee injury. He made three 3-pointers in the first half to help Dobson stay close.

Photos by Ralph Freso, East Valley Tribune SEE THE COMPLETE GAME SLIDE SHOW HERE
 

The individual matchup lived up to the hype, but fifth-ranked (Class 5A Division I) Mesa was able to beat top-ranked (5A-II) Phoenix Pinnacle 70-58 Monday in the Martin Luther King Basketball Classic because 6-foot-7 forward Aaron Fuller had more help than 6-9 forward Taylor Rohde. Rohde, playing on his future college's court, at Arizona State's Wells Fargo Arena, had 30 points and 11 rebounds after struggling in the first half.

Fuller, who has Michigan interested in him and will be in town Wednesday to watch him play, had 28 points and 12 rebounds. But Fuller said this wasn't about him vs. Rohde. "This was about everybody, not just me," said Fuller, who made 12 of 19 shots and played tough defense in ending a four-game win streak by Pinnacle (16-5).

Fuller got help from combination guard Ryan Salcedo, who scored 19 points, making 7 of 14 shots. Salcedo joined the team after the Christmas break, because he was academically ineligible. He's given Mesa (11-7) an instant lift with his ballhandling and shooting skills. "He gives us another option to score," said Fuller, whose team went from preseason No.1 to out of the rankings the first two weeks of the season. "He really pushes the ball up the floor. He gives us another weapon. "Fuller, though, was clearly the best player on the court Monday.

During a 12-5 run in the second quarter, Fuller scored on a slam, made a steal and passed off to Salcedo for a dunk. Fuller scored on a driving jumper, sank two foul shots, and, after a defensive rebound, scored on a feathery jumper in the lane, building Mesa's lead to 30-16. When Pinnacle tied the score at 32-32 with 5:36 left in the third quarter on 3-pointers by Rohde and Xavier Cotton and a three-point play by Nuno Muandumba, Salcedo took over. He hit two 3-pointers in a minute's span and Mesa led 42-34.

Cotton's 3-pointer with 2:20 left cut the score to 60-56, but Fuller made two foul shots, stripped the ball from Rohde and scored on a layup for a 64-56 lead with 1:37 left. Mesa coach Shane Burcar said his team didn't devise any defense on Rohde, letting Beau Gardner man up on him. Gardner, a future major college tight end in football, did a good job of making Rohde work. Gardner had 11 points. Junior point guard Donte' Medder, playing the entire four quarter with four fouls, had five assists and three steals for Mesa."Donte' Medder played great with four fouls," Burcar said. "He played with heart." Mesa's defense forced turnovers leading to easy transition points. Mesa had 11 steals. Pinnacle had 23 turnovers.
 

Mesa High boys basketball coach Shane Burcar would have been as interested as the average fan to watch his forward, Aaron Fuller, do battle against Phoenix Pinnacle standout forward Taylor Rohde Monday afternoon. “If I wasn’t coaching I’d be here to watch them for sure,” Burcar said after his Jackrabbits held off a late run by Pinnacle to post a 70-58 victory in the fifth annual Martin Luther King Classic at ASU’s Wells Fargo Arena. “But it’s teams that win basketball games. I thought we got a good team effort today.”

That Mesa did. Rohde, who is headed to ASU next fall, tallied a game-high 29 points and added 11 rebounds. Fuller, still uncommitted for college ball but pursued more and more every day by suitors, poured in 28 with 12 rebounds. The parts for Mesa added up to the whole victory.

Mesa (11-7) has now won its last four games in a row and each of its last seven wins have been by double-digits. Pinnacle (16-5) had a four-game winning streak end. Fuller, a 6-foot-7 senior, scored 16 of his 28 in the first half. He made 7 of 11 shots from all over, including a dunk to open the second period that pushed Mesa’s lead to 16-5. The Jackrabbits’ lead reached its peak (26-11) late in the first half. From there, Pinnacle made periodic pushes at overtaking Mesa.

“I think the difference was our defense and the way we ran,” Fuller said. “We were taking quality shots. ... It was a big game not just for me, but everybody on our team. This was a statement game. It puts us on the map.”

Rohde’s day ended up big on the scoring end, but he started slow. He scored four points in the first quarter on 2 of 5 shooting from the field. He also was hampered by two fouls (both offensive) in the period. He ended up with nine points at the half. A 14-point outburst by Rohde that included two 3-pointers, helped Pinnacle even the game at 32-32 with 5:35 left in the third period.

Fuller’s supporting cast then helped Mesa regain control. Guard Ryan Salcedo, after a quiet first half with two points, hit two free throws to put Mesa ahead, 34-32. In the third, Salcedo scored eight of his 19 points and made a key defensive play that pushed the lead back to 10, as he blocked a shot, picked up the loose ball and fed Fuller for a layup that made it 46-36 Jackrabbits.

“Ryan had a nice second half,” Burcar said. “I thought it was big what Donte (Medder) did playing the entire last quarter with four fouls. Beau Gardner was the one defending Rohde. We only double-teamed a few times on him. I think Beau Gardner is one of the best post defenders in the state.”

Fuller picked up his fourth foul with 5:18 to go in the game, but a 59-47 Mesa lead seemed safe. Pinnacle forced three straight turnovers and scored six points in 30 seconds to cut the lead to 59-53. A 3-pointer by Pinnacle guard Xavier Cotton with 2:20 remaining pulled the Pioneers within 60-56. Fuller, who reentered after Pinnacle’s 6-0 run, scored six points in the Jackrabbits’ 10-2 finish. Gardner added 11 points and Keelan Johnson eight for Mesa. Cotton scored 12 for Pinnacle and teammate Nuno Muandumba added 10.
 

BOXSCORE
Westwood Warriors
O'Bannon 18, Miller 11, Crockrell 9, Mendoza 5, Romero 2, Jordan 2, Jackson 2

Mesa
Aaron Fuller 46, Donte Medder 10, Keelan Johnson 6, Ryan Salcedo 6,Beau Gardner 5,Lorenzo Velazco 2

Aaron "the Beast" Fuller led the way for the Jackrabbits with 34 points and 19 rebounds. Donte Medder had a good shooting night going 6-8 from the field to score 14 points. Keelan "Steady Eddie" Johnson played tough defense all night and also grabbed 7 rebounds. The game was close throughout as Mountain Pointe got within 3 points trailing 47-44. Mesa finished the deal ending the game on a 17-6 run to finish off the Pride. The Jackrabbits have now reeled off 6 straight in State wins. Mesa JV won an exciting overtime game.
 

BOXSCORE
Mountain Pointe
Michael Ramirez 16, Tim Loeffler 13, Hunter Null 10, Davon Jones 5, Daniel Woulf 2, Jared Morrison 2, Kennen Binion 2

Mesa
Aaron Fuller 34, Donte Medder 14, Ryan Salcedo 5, Keelan Johnson 4, Lorenzo Velazco 4, Beau Gardner 3

Mesa High used the inside game of Aaron Fuller and the outside prowess of Donte Medder and Ryan Salcedo Tuesday night to hand No. 2 Mesa Mountain View a 66-50 defeat in the 5A-I East Valley Region opener for both teams at Mountain View High School.

Fuller had his way in the paint, scoring a game-high 25 points. He connected on 10 of 13 shots from the field. Salcedo supplied a spark off the bench in the first half with a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 15 points. Medder scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half. Mesa improved to 8-7 overall. Mountain View (14-3) got 12 points from Brendon Lavender and 11 from Nathan Murphy. Lavender did not score in the final period as the Toros were outscored 19-8.
 

Phoenix Desert Vista took advantage of three straight Mesa High turnovers to help the Thunder go on a 10-0 run that powered them to a 48-40 victory to win the Mesa Jackrabbit Basketball Tournament championship game at Mesa.

The Thunder’s Marcus Lever scored 17 points, including a 3-pointer to take back the lead late in the game, while teammate Josh Lowery hit five of six free throws in the last minute of the game to help put the game away.
Lever hit three long-range bombs in the game.“It was just one of those nights which was like a heavyweight match that went 15 rounds,” said Desert Vista coach Doug Harris. “It was an exciting game, and it is nice to know we can win one of these kind of ballgames.

“We’ve played some great teams right away,” said Harris, whose team came into the tournament sitting atop the preseason rankings. “This tells you right away where you stand.”Although Desert Vista led for all but 4 1/2 minutes of the game, the contest was not truly decided until the final minutes.

The Jackrabbits (2-1) had a 40-38 lead with 2:32 left, when Lever hit his go-ahead 3-pointer, followed by Mesa’s three consecutive turnovers.Desert Vista (3-0) took advantage of each mistake, and Mesa did not score another basket for the remainder of the game.Mesa was led by Aaron Fuller, who scored 19 points, including a dunk that tied the score in the second quarter.The Jackrabbits’ Donte Medder had 12 points but fouled out with 47 seconds left in the game.

“I’m happy with our efforts (in the tournament),” said Mesa coach Shane Burcar. “I thought the whole tournament we had good effort every possession. It was just a couple of breakdowns at the end we just didn’t take care of the basketball. For three possessions, we didn’t get a shot.“We have to keep up our defensive intensity,” Burcar said. “I think if we keep doing that and take care of the ball, we’ll be OK.”

The Mesa Jackrabbits opened their annual Thanksgiving Shoot Out tournament with a solid victory over North Canyon.

"We got off to a good start to the season. Our effort is something we can control every night and tonight we did an outstanding job for 32 minutes" said Coach Burcar after the win.

The Jackrabbits out rebounded the Rattlers 32-17. The Jackrabbits scored 91 points a direct result of team play backed up with 30 assists.

Beau Gardner had a career high with 18 points shooting 9 of 12 from the field and adding 5 rebounds. Mr. Consistency, Aaron Fuller had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds plus adding 5 steals and a open court dunk. The floor general Donte Medder might have played his best game of his career up to this point with his own double-double 10 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers. Jesse Westergard also had his career high with 16 points with a 7 of 8 night from the floor. It was a great team effort as all 14 players played Mesa Basketball.

The floor burn crew was out in full force as the Jackrabbits were getting loose balls by diving on the floor and making hustle plays.