Millennium escapes SDO in OT in Open Division 1st-round play
There were only three games decided by fewer than 10 points, two lower seeds advancing, and a couple of career nights Wednesday in the first round of the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s ground-breaking 32-team Open Division boys state basketball tournament.
Sixteen teams, ranging from 6A to 4A, advanced to Friday’s second round. Sixteen teams that lost await Saturday when the AIA does another bracket show for the big-school, 16-team conferences and where they’ll be placed in those.
Here’s a look at some of the opening round games:
Freshman carries Millennium in OT
Cameron Holmes, a 6-foot-6 freshman, who this week picked up an offer from Oregon, showed why he’s special in No. 9 Goodyear Millennium’s 75-64 overtime win over Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor.
With Kingston Tosi and Quincy Everson getting injured, Holmes scored 37 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists.
“He put the team on his shoulder when Kingston and Quincy were sitting out,” coach Ty Amundsen said.
Another freshman, Brayden Barrett had 16 points and six rebounds. Tosi toughed out the injury and had 14 points and seven rebounds. Everson sat out the second half after receiving stitches for a cut above his right eye.
Millennium advance to play at No. 8 Peoria Liberty on Friday. Liberty beat No. 25 Tucson 82-69, behind Ky Green’s 28 points and Caden Hunter’s 26.
Brophy goes on Speed dial
Braeden Speed, a junior guard known for his tough defense, scored a careerhigh 38 points in No. 6 Brophy Prep’s 8063 win over No. 27 Gilbert Mesquite. He got his points on 15 of 22 shooting, including 5 of 7 3-pointers. Brophy advances to play host to Chandler Basha, a team it twice beat in the regular season by one point and in overtime.
Arman Madi had 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Conner
Ivy added 11 points and four rebounds for the Broncos.
No. 1 Perry gets rematch with Pinnacle
Top-seeded Perry, led by 6-8 towers Koa Peat and Cody Williams, cruised to a 78-54 rout of No. 32 Vail Cienega, and will play host to No. 16 Phoenix Pinnacle on Friday. Pinnacle gave Perry (26-1) its only loss this season, a two-point decision at Pinnacle, where Bryce Ford went off with a huge game.
It was the dynamic duo of Ford and Ashton Reese that powered Pinnacle past Mesa Mountain View 81-67. It was a 31-31 game, before Pinnacle went on an 18-2 run to close out the first half. Ford had 25 points and Reese 24 to lead Pinnacle.
4A powers St. Mary’s, ALA Gilbert North to meet next
No. 18 Phoenix St. Mary’s survived a close call at No. 15 Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain 60-56, setting up a big second-round showdown at No. 2 American Leadership Gilbert North, a 62-55 win over No. 31 Gilbert.
These teams have never met. The loser goes into the 4A tournament next week.
Styles Phipps had 21 points and seven assists, and Caspian Jones had 19 points and six rebounds to lead St. Mary’s.
Biggest shocker
No. 21 Waddell Canyon View turned in the biggest shocker of the first round with a 76-64 win over No. 12 Anthem Boulder Creek. Canyon View, under first-year coach Randy Lavender (The Arizona Republic’s Coach of the Year last season), plays at No. 5 Glendale Ironwood, which blew out Glendale Cactus 79-41. Jordan Kuac made six 3pointers and had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Ironwood.
Boulder Creek, which moves into the 6A tournament, made just 6 of 36 3pointers and 6-8 sophomore guard Andrew Bhesania was in foul trouble. BC was without point guard Rowan McKenzie due to injury.
“Credit and best of luck to the Canyon View squad,” coach Justin Collard said. “Coach Lave is a class act, and they are a great team.
“No Rowan McKenzie obviously hurts us on both ends of the floor.”
Desert Mountain rolls behind House twins
Freshman twins Kaden and Kalek House weren’t going to allow an upset from Mesa as they combined for 58 points in Desert Mountain’s 76-60 win. Kaden had 39 points, making 21 of 25 free throws. Kalek had 26 points. Desert Mountain shot 34 free throws, while Mesa shot just 11.
“Twenty-five fouls were called against us and two of our starters (Kota Benson and Parker Escalante) fouled out,” Mesa coach Scott Stansberry said.
Benson had 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists, before fouling out with six minutes left.
Desert Mountain advances to play at No. 4 Gilbert Highland, a 75-51 winner over Tucson Sahuaro.
4A Peoria moves into 2nd round
No. 3 Peoria got balanced scoring in a 79-57 win over Tucson Catalina Foothills, and will play host to No. 14 Scottsdale Notre Dame — an 89-58 win over Phoenix North Canyon — on Friday.
Notre Dame made 17 3-pointers against North Canyon.
Peoria got 26 points from Caden Bass, 16 from Andrew Camacho and 14 from Calvin Windley.
Peoria jumped out to an 8-0 lead and got into a double digits advantage, before Catalina Foothills cut it to seven in the final quarter.
Sunnyslope freshman sparks team
No. 10 Phoenix Sunnyslope, the 6A champion two years ago, got 16 points from freshman Rider Portela and 15 from Jai Anthoni Bearden and beat No. 23 Prescott 63-38. The Vikings next play at Gilbert Campo Verde, a 62-42 winner over Phoenix Central.
“We came out to a fast start with a 23-8 first quarter with Beau Hartman scoring eight in the first quarter, and we played great defense limiting them in the first half,” Sunnyslope coach Ray Portela said.