ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

To nominate a Boys or Girls Athlete of the Week or an Academic All-Star, go to nominations .azcentral.com.

The azcentral Sports Awards are given out each spring. Keep checking azcentral.com for updated information.

Friday

Boys: Noah Peterson, Highland, Basketball

Peterson led the way in Highland’s thrilling, 63-61, double overtime win over Brophy Prep in Saturday’s 6A championship game. He scored a game-high 27 points and had 12 rebounds in the game to finish the season averaging 18.4 points and 6.4 boards.

The title was the first in Highland history. The Hawks had previously fallen at the state’s final stage four times. The title was sealed by a dramatic 3-pointer by Hayden Winegar with three seconds left, as Brophy’s defense keyed in on Peterson and second-leading scorer Brock Knollmiller.

“It means the world,” Peterson said. “There are no words. This feeling is the best, man. I’m so happy.”

Girls: Mackenzie Dunham, Sunrise Mountain, Basketball

Dunham played less than three quarters in Sunrise

Mountain’s 52-47 win over Canyon View in the 5A championship game thanks to foul trouble. In that time, though, she made her presence felt.

She finished the game with 13 points and an absurd 20 rebounds — 12 of which came on the offensive glass. Canyon View simply had no answer for her when she was on the floor.

“She’s an incredibly smart player and she’s just a problem for other teams because she’s so big, she’s such a skilled player, she’s a good passer.”

Academic: Jerzy

Robinson, Desert

Vista, Basketball

Robinson finished her outrageous freshman season with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the firstever Open Division championship game, helping Desert Vista to a 6337 win over Millennium. On the court, Robinson’s success has been well documented, as she averaged 22.0 points per game this year. Off the court, she also excels, with a 4.4 GPA, according to Desert Vista coach Dave Williams.

That combination of unique basketball ability and academic excellence has earned Robinson offers from UCLA, USC, Georgetown, Ohio State, Alabama, Arizona, Texas A&M and Grand Canyon.

“She has character and is just caring,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of stuff that’s going on. She’s a freshman and a lot of people, older people, upperclassmen, are like, ‘This freshman’s not this, not that.’ No, she’s all that.”