Corona del Sol has big expectations and hype this postseason. Other Arizona programs are trying to make a statement that they belong among the elite.
Photo by Mark Jones
The destination goal remains the same as Arizona basketball teams prepare for the state quarterfinals this week, but getting to this point means different things to each program across the four divisions.
For programs like
Corona del Sol (Tempe) boys,
Shadow Mountain (Phoenix) boys,
Seton Catholic (Chandler) girls and a few others, it is just another game in trying to get another banner to hang in the gym. Others are approaching milestones and setting new standards with another win or two.
The
Liberty (Peoria) girls, a program that has grown into a D-I program quickly after opening its doors in 2006, snuck up on some people to earn the No. 2 seed in Division I.
"We are like the underdogs almost," said Liberty guard
Courtney Christmas, who finished with a game-high 31 points in the second-round win. "We are just trying to make a point to everybody that we are over here."
See the MaxPreps Arizona basketball playoff brackets for boys and girls
Jordenn Reibel, Valley Vista
Photo by Paul Campbell
The talk most of the year has been about defending D-I champs and top-seeded
Desert Vista (Phoenix), No. 3
Hamilton (Chandler), No. 6
Dobson (Mesa) and No. 3
Millennium (Goodyear), and Wednesday's quarterfinals all include these teams, but Liberty and No. 4
Valley Vista (Surprise) have a chance to go deeper into the postseason than ever before.
"This is the furthest we've gone. Millennium is a great team, but we're going to compete," Valley Vista guard
Peyton Chavez said. "It was an amazing experience to be able to play my last home game. We worked hard to get it."
The Division II girls have a few interlopers – low seeds still alive - as No. 12
Maricopa, No. 10
Sahuaro (Tucson) and No. 9
Ironwood Ridge (Tucson) attempting to continue to create havoc with the seeding process.
The D-I boys are just the opposite, as seeds No. 1-8 are still alive and there are going to be some big-time battles on Wednesday and on through Saturday's semifinals before Monday's championship game.
Desert Vista (Phoenix), the No. 7 seed, has essentially the same roster as last year when it lost in the first round, but a new coaching staff has developed the talent and fostered a confidence level that will serve the Thunder well when they take on No. 2
Mesa.
"We are doing good and these guys believe," said Thunder coach Tony Darden, whose teams withstood a 41-point game by
Markus Howard to beat No. 10
Perry (Gilbert). "There are no easy games at this point. There are only a few teams left and we are one of them. We want to keep it that way as long as possible."
Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic and current Prep Sports Director for 1013 Communications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.
