Yuma High School’s boys basketball team mostly is back to full strength.
The Outlaws dealt with illness and injury through the season’s first month, but now only senior Jesus Hermosillo (a transfer from Lone Star) and junior Christian Thompson remain on the injury list.
Just in time, too, as the Outlaws enter the long haul of the 2025-26 season.
They returned from the holiday break last week with three wins. The Outlaws now are 8-1 overall and 1-0 in the 3A Patriot League. They entered this week No. 5 in the CHSAA 3A Selection & Seeding Index.
Yuma is at Brush on Friday for a 3A Patriot game, then host old-time rival Eaton on Saturday afternoon. Brush was 5-4 and No. 33 in the 3A Index after last week. Eaton is 7-2 and No. 5 in the 4A Index, setting up a 5-vs-5 matchup in The Pit.
“This will be another good weekend,” coach Dave Sheffield said. “Eaton has a lot of length. It will come down to rebounding again. We just have to battle and create loose balls.”
Yuma pulled out a league win at Liberty Common earlier last week. (See last week’s edition.) The Outlaws took Highway 34 to Akron last Friday, outlasting the Rams 67-49. Simla, No. 3 in 2A, came to town Saturday, with the Outlaws pulling away in the final minutes for a 75-62 win.
They won by 18 at Akron, but it was a gradual build. The Outlaws led 28-21 at halftime, then added six more to the lead in the third and iced the victory in the final stanza.
“Coach Randel does a good job getting his guys to play hard,” Sheffield said. “They caused us some problems even with our press.”
Yuma shot well from 2-point range at 53 percent, and made 15 of 19 at the charity stripe. It was tougher from long range as the Outlaws made just six of 22 behind the arc.
Brody Sheffield had 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals, Jalen Rose 12 points and four rebounds, David Covarrubias 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, Alex Pensado six points and three assists, Jose Mario Ross six points and two assists, Reyli Trejo four points, seven rebounds and three assists, Osvaldo Pensado four points, and Noe Quezada two points and two assists.
Simla gave the Outlaws a challenge Saturday afternoon in The Pit. The Cubs went on a run early in the second quarter to grab a 24-18 lead. The Outlaws battled back to tie the score at 28 by halftime, then scored the first five points in the third. They led 38-36 when some steals and runout layups led to a 45-36 advantage. A Pensado hit a trey at the buzzer for a 56-48 lead heading into the fourth.
Simla rallied in the fourth, including a baseline slam by Cubs big man Tatum Kocerha (who dealt with foul trouble in the second half), to tie the game again at 62.
However, the Outlaws were able to close it out down the stretch with a 13-0 run game-ending run.
“They are so long, so I was proud of what our guys did,” Sheffield said. “We got some extra clearance at the free-throw line.”
The Outlaws made 11 of 12 at the charity stripe, while Simla shot just five, making four. The teams combined for 50 3-point attempts, Yuma making 10 and Simla nine. The Outlaws were able to score 28 points off turnovers as Simla committed 25 to only nine for the Yuma.
Sheffield was 10-for-10 at the charity stripe, finishing with 35 points and eight rebounds. A. Pensado had 17 points and two steals, Ross eight points and three steals, Rose eight points,three assists and three steals, Quezada four points and four steals, Trejo three points and four rebounds, and Covarrubias five rebounds.