Mesa Red Mountain's boys basketball team put the finishing touches on the bulk of its nonregion schedule Friday night by piecing together a strong first half and riding that effort to a 72-59 triumph over Phoenix Pinnacle in a 5A Division I game at Red Mountain.

Red Mountain shot a sizzling 62 percent from the field in the first half, hit the offensive boards and put Pinnacle (9-7) on its heels from the get-go.

"The first half tonight, that's how we can play," Red Mountain coach Greg Sessions said. "We haven't done it all the time. But it does show what we're capable of."

Junior Paul Newendyke scored a career-high 24 points. He tallied eight in the first period, then helped the Mountain Lions (13-5) stave off a mild threat in the final quarter by scoring 14 points.

Newendyke was 10-of-11 from the free-throw line in the final stanza after Pinnacle sliced a 21-point lead to nine.

Red Mountain played with more energy from the start. The Mountain Lions bolted to a 15-3 lead four and half minutes in, led by Newendyke and Jordan Holt. Holt finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The lead expanded to 40-24 by halftime, with senior Chris Lewis scoring 11 of his 15 points in the second period.

Pinnacle was led by Lamar-bound point guard Nuno Muandumba. The senior entered the game averaging 20 points a game, and finished with 23.

Pinnacle didn't have a put-back in the first half and only had two for the game, a testament to the Mountain Lions' prowess on the boards.

Pinnacle center Jordan Jares, a 6-foot-8 senior, managed six points and was neutralized on the boards by Holt, Newendyke and Lewis.

The Mountain Lions pounded Peoria Centennial earlier this week and were looking for the added momentum a win over Pinnacle could bring. Red Mountain opens East Valley Region play Tuesday by hosting Mesa Westwood.