The No. 3 seed Scottsdale men's basketball team defeated No. 2 seed South Mountain 65-57 in the NJCAA Region I Semifinals at SMCC Gym in Phoenix.

After a slow start that saw South Mountain take an early lead, Scottsdale (17-13) found its rhythm midway through the first half. A three-pointer from Tylan Holleman and strong play off the bench from Tim Gorham helped the Artichokes take control. Gorham sparked the offense with multiple key baskets, including a late three-pointer that pushed Scottsdale ahead 25-19 at halftime.

South Mountain (25-6) tried to rally early in the second half, trimming the deficit to just three points. But Scottsdale responded with a timely three-pointer from Davion Harris and continued to attack the rim, extending the lead back to multiple possessions.

Quincy Kirk led the Artichokes with a strong all-around performance, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. McCade Peterson added 11 points while going a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line and dishing out four assists.

Scottsdale's bench also made a major impact. Bryce Anderson scored 12 points and added two blocks, while Gorham contributed 11 points and four rebounds in an efficient outing.

Defensively, Scottsdale limited South Mountain to just 30.5 percent shooting from the field and 20.8 percent from three-point range.

Scottsdale now turns its attention to the Region I Final where they will face top seed and undefeated Pima (31-0) on Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. in Tucson. This marks SCC's first trip to the Region Final since winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.

In postseason news, Quincy Kirk McCade Peterson were named to the NJCAA All-Region I Second Team.