It has been a dynasty of sorts for the Seton Catholic girls and head coach Karen Self. Self, one of the elite girl’s coaches in the country, would win her 7th career state title, while the Seton Catholic girls would win their third state title in 4 years on Saturday, after a come-from-behind 37-30 victory over Cienega High School at Jobing.com Arena. Seton Catholic (32-3) lost in the state semi-finals last season after losing star guard Anne Marie Holter to a mid-season injury. If Holter had not gone down, then Seton Catholic could have been looking at their fourth consecutive…
Author: Anthony Ray
If you love high school basketball in the state of Arizona then this week has been one of excitement for you, as basketball has filled the air in every division, every class and every section cross the state – leading us toward the semi-finals and, ultimately, the state championship this weekend. Thursday was a full day of basketball action on the campus of Arizona State University at the Wells Fargo Arena, as the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) organized numerous exciting match-ups for basketball fans to get excited about. One of the most exciting match-ups two of my favorites all season in the Division-I Class…
Gilbert Christian (21-10) was looking to overcome major odds this post-season and win their fourth state title in 5 seasons – in what would have been an amazing accomplishment, especially after moving up to the Division-II Class this season. To do so, Gilbert Christian would have to overcome not only playing at a higher level this season, but also would have to overcome the recent loss of their head coach Jerome Joseph. Joseph resigned last week due to “personal reasons.” Without Joseph leading them and against a tough Cienega (26-5) team that has played tough all season, Gilbert Christian would get…
The Shadow Mountain group will be the state’s top team for the next two seasons in the Division-II Class, and this year they are proving just how good they will be, as they are utilizing their young talent to come from behind consistently to win ball games. But they could win it all this season – setting up a possibility for three state titles with their current group. On Wednesday evening, after coming from behind against a talented and tough Catalina Foothills HS team in the state playoffs, Shadow Mountain would do it again late against top-rated Salpointe Catholic HS, 76-66, to advance…
The semi-finals are now set for girl’s basketball in the Division-I Class in the state of Arizona, after Tuesday’s quarterfinal playoff action at Wells Fargo Arena. Tuesday’s games will now set the stage for an exciting semi-finals on Friday evening. Leading the way Tuesday was top-ranked Desert Vista High School (28-2) who would waltz past Mountain Pointe 61-45. After building an early 22-7 first quarter lead over Mountain Pointe, Desert Vista would not look back in the game. 4 junior post Kristine Anigwe (Cal commit), the team’s leading scorer, was in foul trouble for much of the game. As a result, Desert…
On Saturday evening, one of the nation’s elite head coaches and one of the most respected coaches, at any level, ventured to the state of Arizona for an opportunity to watch one of the state’s hottest prospects take the floor. NCAA defending national champion and University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino flew to the state of Arizona just hours after his team defeated Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon to evaluate Westwind Prep Academy 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior guard Lyrik Shreiner. Shreiner recently took his first official recruiting visit to Louisville just weeks ago after the top-rated program had already offered a scholarship to Shreiner. This was an…
Glendale Junior College (14-11) and Pima Junior College (13-17) are preparing for the playoffs next week, but first they would face with one another on Friday evening on the campus of Glendale in a shootout, as Glendale Junior College would pour in a ridiculous 108 points in a 108-86 home victory over the Aztecs – a game in which almost every Glendale player contributed a great deal in front of a Pima dominated crowd. Both teams would go off in the first half, as Glendale would lead at the half, 48 to 47 in a high-scoring affair. In the second half,…
Thursday night set the stage for the first round of this year’s Division-I state playoffs across the state, an exciting time of the year for basketball enthusiasts around the state. For many, it would be the last game of their high school careers, while for others it would be an opportunity to advance in the state playoffs. I found myself in the West Valley on Thursday evening, taking in a first round match-up between one of the state’s elite teams this season, Westview High School, and also one of the state’s top programs over time, St. Mary’s HS. Westview (22-6) has had a…
It was a true test for this year’s Valley Vista girls who have developed a great deal as a team this season under the tremendous leadership of head coach Rachel Matakas. After playing inconsistent basketball throughout the season, the Monsoon would put together one of their best performances of the season on Wednesday evening and when it counted – in the first round of the Division-I State Playoffs. The game would feature Pinnacle High School (19-10), last year’s Division-I state championship runner-ups, taking on Valley Vista (18-11) on Pinnacle’s home floor. The game would set the bar for Valley Vista…
Early in the season, it had looked as though Corona Del Sol would be the team to beat all season long in the state’s Division-I Class, and, while they still are, Sunnyslope has become a team that may be able to challenge the two-time defending state champions. After posting an impressive 26-4 overall record this season, and while only losing to one team within the state of Arizona this high school season, the Vikings have become one of the state’s premier teams. Led by the overall play of 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior guard Sammy Thompkins and stellar 6-foot-10 senior post Michael Humphrey (Stanford…