Basketball: Ford's emergence gives DV another scoring threat

 Lorenzo Ford missed his first eight attempts from 3-point this season. Now, he's Desert Vista's leading shooter, percentage-wise, from behind the arc.

The turning point?

"Over the winter break when we played Saguaro," said Ford, a junior point guard for the Thunder.

That game, against Scottsdale Saguaro in the ABC Tournament Dec. 27, Ford scored a career-high 13 points, had three rebounds, three steals, two assists - and was 3-of-3 from 3-point.

"My focus and stuff just came together and it just clicked," Ford said. "I was set."

More shots began to drop. His production began to increase, and so did that of his teammates.

In first nine games of the season, Ford played six times, averaging three points per game. But since playing Saguaro, he's averaging 8.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds a game while solidifying a starting spot.

It gets better. Since Jan. 16 against Mountain Ridge, he's averaging 10 points over a six-game stretch.

"He's been solid," said DV coach Doug Harris. "He's been doing everything we've asked him to do, and more."

Ford is now shooting a team-best 42 percent from 3-point, including 48.9 percent since starting 0-of-8.

His shooting percentage as a whole has also drastically increased, from 26 percent before the Saguaro game to 46 percent after (35-of-76).

"My confidence just started rising once I got in and once I was scoring a little bit," Ford said. "By the end of the (Saguaro) game, my confidence just shot up."

What's more, senior Marcus Lever's production has also risen. Since Ford's emergence, Lever is averaging a team-best 11.9 points in a move to shooting guard.

"All through my years, I've been the point, running the team, getting us together," Ford said. "Not always looking for mine, but looking to set other people up."

Added Harris: "For his first year of varsity, running the team, he's doing a tremendous job for us."

The son of Desert Vista assistant James Ford, Lorenzo played sparingly toward to end of last season, but says he learned a lot from the team's title run.

"Just watching those older guys, how their mental game was good," Ford said. "Their focus was in the game all the time, always taking care of the ball, always playing as a team."