With Cochise having suffered its first conference loss of the year, the ACCAC men's basketball race is tightening just a bit.

  Scottsdale (11-7, 5-5) edged the Apaches (20-2, 11-1), 92-90, behind 30 points off the bench by Unisa Turay who went 9-14 from the floor. Carson Kelly added 20 for SCC. Cochise got 21 points from Tyreese Watson, 19 from Stephen Byard (who also had ten rebounds) and 18 from Jonathan Garcia.

  For the Artichokes, however, that big victory came just two days after they fell to Phoenix (10-8, 3-5), 88-87. The Bears were paced by Michael Rodgers with 19 points, while Keron Bailey added 18 and Cesar Saenz had a double-double with 17 points and ten assists. Isaiah Floyd led Scottsdale with 20 points and Kelly contributed 16.

  Cochise bounced back in a big way Saturday with a 99-56 win over Mesa (4-10, 2-7) as Watson popped in 22, Byard 21 and Jay Rodgers 20.

  Arizona Western (15-3, 8-1) is attempting to keep pace, although it has played three fewer conference games than Cochise. AZW picked up two important wins, over Pima (12-8, 4-7) and Eastern Arizona (10-11, 3-9) last week. In an 87-70 win at home over Pima, Yaxel Lendebourg went 9-12 from the floor for 26 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. Nate Duda scored 18. Traivar Jackson paced the Aztecs with 20 and Chrishon Dixon had 17.

  Central Arizona (15-5, 9-2) is also trying to keep pace, winning twice last week. First CAC went on the road and knocked off Eastern Arizona, 75-62, as Simeon Richardson-Collins produced a double-double with 17 points and ten rebounds. Corey Boston led EAC with 18 points. Then the Vaqueros topped Pima (12-8, 4-7), 74-66, with Jamison Epps going 10-17 for 27 points and adding 11 rebounds. Richardson-Collins added another double-double with 13 points and ten boards.