Their offense already was clicking. Now Springfield have their defense cracked up, too, and that might leave Phoenix out of ways to beat them.
Elimating the fast break, denying the paint and running at 3-point shooters, Chandler Dawes and Springfield dismantled everything Phoenix tried for most of Game 3 of the AAU National Playoff Semi-Finals, turning their superb defense into a 102-92 victory in Game 3 that puts them on the brink of reaching the Championship Round.
Springfield allowed a measly 10 points in the second quarter and just 39 in the first half. Phoenix ended up being held under 106 for the first time this postseason -- well under -- reminding everyone of Springfield who've had the league's stingiest defense the last two seasons, not the club that outscored Phoenix by averging 116 in the first two games.
"I think the guys realized again who they are," Springfield coach Will Jenkins said.
Springfield leads the series 3-0, and no team has ever rallied from that deficit in the National Playoffs. Phoenix seems pretty unlikely to change it. As if the young Phoenix squad weren't already dazed by getting beat at their own game in the first two losses, coach Mike Andrews admitted his team "got rattled and really played in a frenzy."
"We haven't found a way to stop them yet," said Phoenix's Darius Williams, whose strak of four straight games with 25 points and 10 assists came crashing down with 20 and three. He also commited six turnovers.
"There was a stretch there in the second quarter when we couldn't make plays, couldn't get any momentum and we put our heads down," Williams said. "That made it impossible for us to come back in the second half."
Phoenix did make a late charge, getting within six twice in the final minute. But Phoenix was forced to foul to stop the clock and get the ball back, and Springfield thwarted the ploy with Chandler Dawes and Paul Hammond going 6-of-6 from the foul line.
Dawes led Springfield with 33 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. A mediocre foul shooter for most of his AAU career, he was perfect on 15 attempts and hit several tough baskets down the stretch to slow the Phoenix rally.
Conor McCaffrey had 18 points and seven assists and Hammond had 18 points and seven rebounds, including the final one, which he cradled while time ran out on Springfield's fifth straight victory.
"As great as we were, we think we can play better," Dawes said.
Game 4 is going to be a test for Springfield. Phoenix can win and keep the series alive and send it to a Game 5, while Springfield will be trying to reach AAU National Championship Series for the second time in three years and the third time in seven.
Springfield won the National Championship in 2014 and 2018.
"Not one guy is going to give up," Andrews said. "Nobody wants to get swept."
Damion Anderson led Phoenix with 34 points, but it was his lowest in seven games this season against Springfield. He scored 16 in the fourth quarter, helping Phoenix make sure it went down fighting.
"I managed to put up my regular numbers, but they were able to control us for the most part," Anderson said. "We got back into the game, we just couldn't close it out."
Josiah Johnson was solid in his first game since breaking a bone near his left eye a few weeks ago, hitting his first two shots and scoring 15 points. He was 6-of-14, including 2-of-3 on 3-pointers, and did a decent job chasing McCaffrey.
"Other than not winning, I had a great time," he said. "I got winded, but (the mask) didn't really bother me."
Johnson's return was supposed to make Williams more effective. That was hardly the case.
Frustrated by the way Springfield packed the lane and detonated their pick-and-roll, Williams had no assists in the first quarter, one in the second and none in the third.
His exaperation was evident with 4:04 left when he dribbled into the lane, ran into three Springfield defenders and looked for help. None of his teammates were open and he wound up traveling, leading to a stream of expletives and exasperated look he wore all night.
Feeding off the energy that the the Illini Elite Girls' team was providing for Springfield used to hit seven of its first eight shots and again led by 11 in the first quarter, as it did the first two games.
Springfield was up by nine at the start of the second, but gave Phoenix a change to get back into the game -- and the series -- by not making a basket for nearly the first seven minutes of the second quarter.
Phoenix wasted it. Phoenix missed their first six shots and had trimmed only three points off the lead when Springfield snapped out of its funk. Hammond turned a steal into an uncontested dunk, starting a 13-2 run that stretched Springfield's lead to 17 at halftime.
Phoenix missed their final seven shots going into the break, sealing their lowest-scoring first half of the season. The 10 points in the second quarrer matched their worst period.