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Preview: 2A state basketball playoffs tip off Friday in Prescott area – azpreps365.com
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February 14, 2023 by Brian M. Bergner Jr., AZPreps365
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PRESCOTT — With the first two rounds of 2A boys and girls state playoff games scheduled for the cold, rolling hills of the Prescott area, basketball fans are surely in for a treat.
Local high school campuses Prescott and Bradshaw Mountain are scheduled to host a slew of state contests, while Yavapai College and the Findlay Toyota Center are set to be involved as well, giving fans more than enough basketball to go around.
2A GIRLS-THE FAVORITE
A state playoff preview must always mention the big man (or woman in this case) on campus, right? Enter Phoenix Country Day, the No. 1-seeded girls basketball team in the 2A state bracket and surely the favorite to hoist a championship trophy come Feb. 25.
The Eagles (25-2, 6-0 2A Metro) are led in scoring by sisters Nara Kaibara (12.1 ppg, senior) and Aila Kaibara (14.2 ppg, sophomore) and NCAA Division I recruit Olivia Owens (14.1 ppg).
Owens averages 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 3.4 assists per game in addition to her ability to put the basketball in the hole offensively.
Phoenix Country Day opens with No. 16 Arete Prep. on Feb. 17. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Yavapai College.
THE DEFENDING CHAMPS
Have won the past 2A state championships, Pima (24-2, 12-0 2A East) is certainly no slouch at the No. 3 seed, and could very well end up in the finals come Feb. 25 at Arizona Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.
Senior Ashlynn Chlarson leads the charge for the Roughriders, averaging 20.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.
Head coach Roy Corona said this year’s club will lean on seniors Chlarson and Jayci McClain to get them through a tough bracket if they are to three-peat.
“To be successful in this year’s tournament we will have to keep playing hard-nose defense and our two seniors will have to lead us all the way through,” Corona said. “Our first-round opponent is Benson and it will be a tough game.”
No. 14 Benson and Pima tipoff first-round action Feb. 17 at Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley. Start time is set for 6 p.m.
UPSET-MINDED SEDONA?
Having lost to Pima in the last two state championship games, No. 5-seeded Sedona (17-4, 6-2 2A Metro) may have something to say about just handing over the title trophy to Phoenix Country Day, or Pima for that matter.
Although the Eagles blew out the Scorpions on Feb. 7, 65-24, Sedona fared much better at home in the high country against the favorite from the Valley, jumping out to a 15-6 lead before tiring down the stretch and losing 60-42.
“To be successful in the upcoming state tournament we have to take care of the basketball and limit unforced errors,” Sedona head coach Kirk Westervelt said. “We must block out, limit second chance scoring and stay healthy.”
The Scorpions are scheduled to play No. 12 Phoenix Christian (17-7, 11-1 2A Central) on Feb. 17 at the Findlay Toyota Center. Tipoff is set for 9 a.m.
HOT-HANDED HORIZON HONORS
Sometimes it’s not the best team that makes a run at state title, but whomever has the hot hand. Horizon Honors, winners of 13-straight games with an undefeated 10-0 mark in the 2A South region may very well be that team.
The No. 4-seeded Eagles (21-4, 10-0 2A South) have not lost since the calendar turned to 2023, and they hope to keep it that way entering this week’s state playoffs.
“Success in the playoffs is all about which team can stay consistent emotionally as much as possible and play the best the longest,” Horizon Honors head coach Duane McClendon said. “Every team at this point is going to be a challenge and tough opponent because to make it this far in the season, you have to be a good team.”
Horizon Honors opens state play with No. 13 Round Valley at Prescott High School. Tipoff Feb. 17 is set for 4:30 p.m.
For a full bracket schedule and outlook, click here.
San Tan Charter’s Zaire Richardson (2) brings the ball up the floor against Leading Edge Academy on Jan. 7, 2023. Richardson and the Roadrunners enter the 2A state playoffs as the No. 1 seed. (Jack Beasley, MaxPreps/Courtesy)
2A BOYS-ROADRUNNERS
San Tan Charter (25-2, 12-0 2A Valley) enters the 2A state playoffs with the No. 1 seed on a 12-game winning streak, their last loss coming to 3A Top 5-ranked and undefeated North region champion Monument Valley (72-64) in Kayenta.
Before that? Roadrunner fans would have to go back to Thanksgiving weekend in a 61-50 loss to Tucson High Magnet School, a 6A school that won 24 games this season and is seeded No. 8 in the state playoffs.
Not a bad resume, right?
San Tan Charter features a sophomore dynamic duo backcourt in Zaire Richardson and Kylen Bonner. Richardson averages 18.7 points per game, while Bonner is at 13.5 points, 5 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game.
The Roadrunners open the tournament Feb. 17 in round one against No. 16 Morenci. Tipoff at Prescott High School is set for 7:30 p.m.
ROUGHRIDERS EYE TITLE
Winners of nine straight games, Pima boys basketball received a No. 2 seed in the upcoming 2A state playoffs and the 2A East region champs hope to ride that placement all the way to a state title.
The Roughriders (22-3, 12-0 2A East) last loss came Jan. 10 to Valley Christian, 53-51, a 3A powerhouse ranked No. 1 in state this year.
Pima has solid wins against other 3A clubs, including Snowflake, Thatcher and most recently Blue Ridge, a 69-34 win Feb. 6.
The Roughriders are set to play No. 15 Veritas Prep. on Feb. 17 at Bradshaw Mountain High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
BISBEE EYES CINDERELLA RUN
Led by junior guard Jose Mendez, who averages 22.3 points per game, No. 5-seeded Bisbee (22-2, 10-2 2A East) is looking at a final four run with a few upsets along the way.
With their only two losses in 2A East region play coming to No. 2-seeded Pima, including a 60-57 nailbiter on Jan. 24, the Pumas are hoping to surprise a few people in the 2A state playoffs.
Bisbee’s first-round opponent is No. 12 Horizon Honors, scheduled for a 3 p.m. tipoff at Prescott High School on Feb. 17.
For a full bracket schedule and outlook, click here.
Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.
