We have waited all high school season for this moment, and it is finally here, as the state's top basketball programs in the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) will come together beginning this Wednesday, February 14th, on Valentines Day, for this year's Open Division State Playoffs. (32) of the state's top programs have fought hard all season long - making for one of the best AIA high school seasons to date. There were many top performances this season, as numerous different Arizona high school programs took the spotlight this high school season, at different points throughout the year. Now the time has come to finally find out which Arizona program will win it all this season for the Open.
Back-to-back Open Division State Champion Perry High School (19-6) will set out to defend their crown on Wednesday evening, behind the strong leadership and excellence of 6-foot-8 superstar junior Koa Peat. Peat, has had another terrific season for himself in leading the Pumas, alongside a nice supporting cast this season. It is now time to find out if Perry High School can win it all again this season. #1 overall seed Perry HS will open up with #32 seeded Willow Canyon High School (21-5), in what will be an exciting contest of two different playing styles. I expect Koa Peat to have a big opening round playoff performance, and advance Perry to the second round for a nice match-up of two more different playing styles with Deer Valley High School.
In the first round, the most exciting match-up looks to be #24 seed Prescott High School (22-3) and #9 seed Brophy Prep (15-10). Prescott is a member of the state's 4A Division, but is super talented, led by the superb play of 6-foot high-scoring junior guard Uriah Tenette and also the strong low post play of 6-foot-11 junior Zane Gaul. Prescott has posted two excellent regular seasons, back-to-back, but now it is time for this program to advance deep into the state playoffs. Brophy Prep is well battle-tested and has had a really tough regular season schedule for themselves. Brophy has a deep team and they are tough. They have won 6 of their last 7 games on the season, and will look to slow down Prescott, who has won their last (13) contests. This game will be very exciting to watch and intense. I am very interested in seeing who advances from this game, as this will be an excellent first round duel.
#15 seed Highland High School (19-6) and #18 seed Sandra Day O'Connor High School (18-8) is another excellent first-round match-up, as these two teams come into the state playoffs looking to make a late season run. Sandra Day O'Connor has one of the state's best overall talents in 6-foot-8 junior Michael Simcoe, which imposes a significant threat for any opposing team they will face in this year's state playoffs. The team is also loaded with other talent and has had me thinking all season long that this team should be ranked among our Top (5) teams in the state, regardless of class, but they have not done that, yet. This is a team that could definitely be in the conversation as the playoffs progress. It begins on Wednesday evening.
Another exciting first round match-up features #7 seed St. Mary's High School (21-6) and #26 seed Mesa High School (22-5). This is a very exciting first round brawl, as Mesa is coming off a big recent win over former top-ranked Desert Mountain High School (68-64). Mesa Head Coach Scott Stansberry is one of the elite coaches in the state, and always has his team prepared. Mesa comes into Wednesday evening's contest as winners of their last (10) games on the season, while St. Mary's has won an impressive (14) games in a row. Both programs are playing their best basketball of the season, so this first round battle will certainly be one to watch, regardless of the seeding. St. Mary's is very deep but still a very young group, and, at times, can rely heavily on one-on-one breakdowns off the dribble, while Mesa shares the ball heavily and looks for the open man. The winner of this contest will come down to which team can execute their plan properly, as the Knights may be the state's most talented team from top to bottom. St. Mary's will need to share the ball and compete hard for (32) minutes to win this game, and also advance into the later rounds.
One of the more intriguing match-ups in the first round will feature #13 seed Mesquite High School (20-6) and #20 seed Pinnacle High School (14-12). While Mesquite definitely has the better record this season, these are two very talented teams that are both well battle-tested from a grueling season of competition. Neither program comes into these state playoffs on a hot streak, but both programs are very well coached and will look to put it all together in the state playoffs. Whichever team wins this game, will present a potential threat to Basha in the second round.
Other exciting first round match-ups include #2 seed Notre Dame Prep and #31 seed Liberty High School. Liberty will propose a nice threat for a very well coached Notre Dame Prep program that has had an excellent season, and is looking to win it all. Our overall top-rated high school program in the state, #6 seed Millennium High School (21-4) will open up their quest for an Open Division State Championship with a first-round match-up with #27 seed Higley High School. Millennium is currently our top-ranked program in the state, regardless of classification, and they have an excellent chance at winning it all this season. They are well battle-tested and deep as a team, which should make for a nice run for them in this year's Open Division State Playoffs.
