It was a busy Saturday at the Veteran Memorial Coliseum, as numerous state final games took place for boys and girls high school basketball in the state’s 6A and Open Divisions. For the 6A Boy’s State Championship, #1 seed Highland High School (29-3) would face #2 seed Brophy Prep (24-9) Saturday afternoon. Highland has had a terrific season, led by the superb overall play of 6-foot-3 senior guard Noah Peterson (pictured), while Brophy Prep has been led by the play of 6-foot-6 senior forward Arman Madi (NAU signee) and 6-foot-3 junior guard Braeden Speed. Both teams are well balanced though…
Author: Anthony Ray
It was an exciting matchup in the 5A Division for the 5A State Championship, as #1 seed Campo Verde (28-4) faced off with #2 seed Millennium High School (27-5) at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday evening. Campo Verde came into the game looking to win their first ever state title, while Millennium was looking to win it all again, after coming up just short in their past two state championship performances – finishing runner-up two times in a row. The game would get off to a very slow start, as both teams would miss shots early and also turn the…
After four years of torching the nets in Arizona high school basketball, it has all come to a nice close for Peoria High School’s 6-foot2 senior guard Andrew Camacho, as he has led his Peoria (28-4) program to this year’s 4A State Championship, after a nice 65-57 state final victory over a gritty Deer Valley High School team. In the championship victory, Camacho finished with a game-high 22 points in the win – rounding out one of the best high school careers in Arizona history. Since entering the high school ranks, Camacho absolutely went off immediately, and was consistent throughout…
Once again, Peoria High School has done it – reaching the 4A State Final, after a big 4A State Semi-final win over Bradshaw Mountain High School on Monday evening in front of a packed house at home. Peoria would quickly build a huge lead in the first half and not look back, as Peoria would route a much bigger Bradshaw Mountain team in a 67-53 victory. For the second time in his illustrious high school career, gifted 6-foot-2 high-scoring senior guard Andrew Camacho (pictured left) will have an opportunity to win it all, before the end to one of the…
It was an exciting match-up as #11 seed Basha High School traveled to the West Valley to face #10 seed Sunnyslope High School @ Apollo High School in front of a packed gymnasium for the right to advance to the Open Division Finals. Sunnyslope (25-5) is accustomed to winning, one of the winningest programs in the state, but this year’s group is young, and they would need to get past a tough Basha team in the process. Basha has been a favorite to make the Open Division finals all season long, but they would have their hands full with a…
This year’s Open Division Playoffs have been exciting and has taken AIA basketball to another level this high school season, as the top 32 teams in the state from the 4A, 5A and 6A Classes have battled it out for the opportunity to be classified as the defining overall State Champion for the 2022-2023 high school basketball season. This has been an amazing opportunity for us to find out who the top overall team in the state is annually, while also allowing for the best competition for each of the state’s top teams at the end of the high school…
One of the elite remaining prospects in Arizona’s 2023 Class is now off the recruiting board, as AZ Compass Prep’s talented 6-foot-4 senior guard Tru Washington has announced his verbal commitment. Washington announced his decision on Tuesday on social media – announcing that he has chosen to verbally commit to the University of New Mexico and Head Coach Richard Pitino and his men’s basketball staff. University of New Mexico basketball is on the rise and now the program has landed Washington – one of the elite 2023 prospects in the West. Washington chose New Mexico over offers from TCU, LSU,…
As we near the end to the high school season, recruiting will begin to start heating up for some of Arizona’s top available senior prospects, and there are many still on the table for college coaches to take a hard look at. One prospect that has really helped himself this high school season with his strong play is Pinnacle High School’s talented 6-foot-2 senior guard Bryce Ford. While going into his final senior season as an unheralded prospect, Ford’s strong play this high school season has pushed him into the front of the minds of college programs this spring, looking…
One of my favorite overall prospects to watch perform in the state of Arizona has been AZ Compass Prep’s talented and gifted 6-foot-4 senior guard/forward EJ Scroggins. A joy to watch play and a freak athletic talent, Scroggins has flown well below the recruiting radar for some time. While those close to the Arizona basketball community can have a developed understanding for this young man’s individual talent, most college programs have either not seen him or do not have a good feel for this young man’s tremendous potential as a pure athlete. Scroggins played his first three seasons at McClintock High…
The exciting Open Division Playoffs have been a hit in the valley, as this has been the first year that the AIA has instituted such a division, which allows for the state’s best teams to compete with one another at the end to the high school season. The Open Division has now completed two rounds in the Open Division, and there have been some major surprises already, although #1 seed Perry High School continues to roll. Perry has rolled through the first two rounds of the Open Division Playoffs, after defeating Cienega High School (78-54) in the opening round and…