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Arizona Sports (AZCentral)
HS Basketball (Men) Archive
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High school coaching carousel continues to spin up north
The topsy-turvy world of high school sports in the Arizona high country continues. Flagstaff High School just hired a new football coach – the fifth different head coach in six years. And Payson High School had to replace the men’s head basketball coach after just one season, shortly after the athletic director and head baseball [...] -
Scoring records fall… but who did Richard Jefferson call?
High school basketball scoreboards have been on fire this season, as both state and national scoring records were broken out here in the desert. Ashley Wirtzberger, a senior point guard at Gila Bend HS, broke the national 3-point record with 473 treys. Corey Hawkins, a senior guard at Estrella Foothills HS, erased NBA guard Mike [...] -
Gilbert Christian is 64 minutes away from a perfect season
Thirty basketball games, 30 wins. Just two more to be played for a chance at a perfect season and the 1A boys high school state championship. Gilbert Christian HS plays the 29th game tonight and, if it gets past Joseph City HS, will play the title game tomorrow evening. Enroute to their 30-0 record, the [...] -
What will it take to derail the SCA hoops express?
The Scottsdale Christian Academy boys basketball team made a defining statement in its lopsided win over No. 2 ranked Westwind Prep. Their 64-41 non-region victory gave notice to the rest of the field as playoffs progress to the title game: get off the track or get run over. SCA, ranked No. 1 in Class 2A [...] -
Hawkins brothers lighting up scoreboards for the Wolves
The Hawkins brothers took their show to center stage again Tuesday night. Together, they put up 55 of Estrella Foothills High School’s 84 points against Northwest Christian HS in a 84-46 basketball blow-out. It could have been worse. The game prior was a 76-53 rout of defending New Mexico state champion Clovis in the AIA-sponsored [...] -
Basketball teams focused on climbing up the power rankings
Non-conference games and holiday basketball tournaments are in the rear-view mirror now, and high school teams are ratcheting up their level of play as they vie for power ranking points. That’s why games like this week’s match-up of the top two teams in 4A-I begin to shape the playoff picture. No. 1 ranked Sunnyslope HS [...] -
Horizon basketball tourney turns into high-scoring thriller
Hayden Johnson averaged 21 points for Scottsdale Christian Academy during the Horizon Invitational Basketball Tournament, which earned him the Most Valuable Player award for the tourney. But it was SCA’s Park Thomas who got center stage in the tournament’s finale. Johnson scored 25 and pulled down 13 rebounds in the championship game against Boulder Creek [...] -
Thunder rolls… and wins Nike Tournament bracket
Arizona high schools got off to a slow start but did well on the final day of the Nike Tournament of Champions, held again this year in Chandler. But it was Desert Vista HS that wrapped up the only championship as the four-day showcase of girls basketball wrapped up yesterday.
The Thunder (team photo) won its bracket of the prestigious tourney with a 65-55 victory over Campolindo HS of California, capping an undefeated run through the event, which came to the Valley in 2001. The event draws many of the top teams from all over the country and has showcased 10 of the past 12 USA Today national champions.
Austen Harris, a senior guard for Desert Vista, had a game-high 27 points in the championship game and was also named Most Valuable Player in the Blue Bracket.
There were four games that matched up Valley teams on the final day of the tournament. Seton Catholic HS deafeated McClintock HS, 61-30; Gilbert HS downed Pinnacle HS, 65-61; Red Mountain HS won over Basha HS, 39-36; and it was Williams Field HS over Horizon HS, 57-52.
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Prestigious Nike tourney includes local HS teams
It's a rocky road again this year for Arizona high school girls basketball teams competing in the huge Nike Tournament of Champions, which began
last Friday and runs through Wednesday at various Chandler-area gyms. The tournament is one of the more prestigious national events, having showcased 10 of the past 12 USA Today national champions; St. Mary's of Stockton, Calif., is currently ranked No. 1 and is entered in the TOC.
This year, 16 Arizona squads are competing in a field of 84 teams that include four of USA Today's top five nationally-ranked teams. Just four survived dropping into the losers' bracket after the first round Friday.
Shadow Mountain HS defeated St. Anthony of California, 55-49; Horizon HS beat St. Monica of California by 10, 42-32; and Chandler HS squeeked by Lynwood HS of California, 74-73. Mountain View HS enjoyed the largest margin of victory with a 68-51 win over Mercer Island of Washington.
All four teams lost in the second round on Saturday. But it was a better day for some of those suffering first-round losses, as Gilbert HS, Basha HS, Pinnacle HS, Boulder Creek HS, Red Moutain HS, and Hamilton HS enjoyed wins.
Sunday is a day off, with play resuming Monday morning. For the first time, there will be a couple of match-ups of local teams as Shadow Mountain HS and Mountain View HS square off in a 12:30 game at Basha HS, followed later in the day by a game between Boulder Creek HS and Red Mountain HS at Willis Junior High in Chandler, with tip-off at 3:30.
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