AIA Open Division 1st Round Review

On Wednesday, the open division playoffs kicked off with 16 first round games. A lot of these games were exciting, however, some of them were quite underwhelming, resulting in blowout losses for some. Upsets were few and far between, with only 5 lower seeds pulling off victories on the road.

Dysart 29, Perry 70

Dysart was completely outmatched in this game, as Perry held a commanding 43-9 lead at the break. The rest of the game was smooth sailing for the Pumas with the starters getting needed rest before their second round clash.

Brophy 70, Prescott 68, OT

This game was an instant classic, going into overtime. Prescott was led by Uriah Tenette who had a stellar 48 points in this one, with Zane Gaul contributing another 10. Brophy was led by Daylen Sharper, who was an enforcer the whole game for the Broncos, giving them life in the second half. In overtime, it was a back and forth affair with Sharper and Tenette going bucket for bucket, but it would be the Broncos’ Luke Wieskamp hitting the winning layup as time expired.

Cactus Shadows 52, Highland 62

Highland squeaked out a narrow home victory, downing the Falcons by 10. The game was much closer than the score implied, as Cactus Shadows gave it their absolute all against 6A powerhouse Highland. The Hawks survive and advance, however, not without a test.

Casteel 49, Ironwood 52

Casteel nearly played upset in this matchup, but the Colts offense could not get going in the fourth quarter, which they held the lead going into the quarter. Ironwood put on a defensive clinic, shutting down the Colts inside and making them find other ways to get their points. I’Yar Shadowvine and Josh Dillard had fantastic nights on both sides of the ball, leading the Eagles to the next round.

Central 67, O’Connor 73

Central nearly spoiled O’Connor’s fantastic season in this game, nearly pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the year in the first round. Central was fueled by the Mattingly brothers, Grant and John, in the first half, which they only trailed by a single point at halftime. In the second half, the Eagles would put on a three point barrage, with 10 alone coming from Colton Watson and Landon Wilson. O’Connor is lucky to be alive in the tournament still, but this near loss should fuel them to do better in the coming rounds.

Mountain Pointe 54, Higley 68

Higley put on a dominant performance in this one, with great performances from Noah Gloor, Donovan Dabney, and Gavin Dabney. These three made it difficult for the Pride to get going at all in this one, and Higley will have a tough test in the next round on the road. The Knights will play O’Connor in one of the best games in the second round on Friday.

Deer Valley 69, Sahuaro 55

Deer Valley made the long trip down to Tucson and ended up coming away wit

h a dominant victory. Deer Valley shut down the Cougars and came out on top, defeating them by 14. The game was not all that close, as a lot of the points came late in the game when it was clearly out of reach. Massive win for the Skyhawks.

ALA Gilbert North 58, Basha 82

Basha dominated ALA in this one, showing no mercy from beyond the arc. The barrage of threes was led by Mason Magee, Kingston Montague, and Lleyton Leonard. Leonard was especially dominant on the defensive end, with tenacious hustle plays and great guarding skills. Magee and Montague provided many easy assists and set up their teammates with ease. ALA did not stand a chance as the Bears were on fire this game.

Catalina Foothills 47, Millennium 81

Millennium took care of business and dominated Catalina Foothills, who had to make the long trip from Tucson to Goodyear. Millennium gave them a lot to think about on the bus ride home as they dominated the Falcons. The Tigers proved why they were one of the favorites going into the tournament.

Tucson 62, Canyon View 69

Canyon View dominated the first half, outscoring the Badgers 45-29. The Jaguars were dominant on offense and suffocating on defense, causing havoc for the Badgers. Tucson adjusted at the half and made the game a little closer in the end. However, it was an example of too little too late as they would fall short of pulling off the first round upset.

Hamilton 86, Willow Canyon 75

Hamilton pulled off one of the largest upsets of the first round by knocking off the 17-1 Willow Canyon Wildcats. The Huskies controlled this game from the tip and caused massive problems for Willow Canyon. Hamilton went into the Wildcats’ place and dominated them, with an offensive attack led by Davion Harris and Marquice Cole Jr. This was technically the second largest upset, based on seeding, of the first round.

Salpointe 29, Notre Dame Prep 67

This was complete, utter domination by the Saints of Notre Dame Prep. Salpointe had to make the long drive up to North Scottsdale, and they did not show up whatsoever. Bryce Quinet and Will Feagles were on timing in the first half, hitting most of their buckets.

Red Mountain 52, Boulder Creek 66

This was a great game for about 3 and a half quarters, but the Jaguars would pull away in the closing moments of the fourth quarter. The height of Andrew Bhesania and Matt Delgado was too much for Red Mountain, as they got dominated in the paint on a consistent basis. Red Mountain put up a great fight, but the size of the Jaguars was too much in the end for the Mountain Lions.

Williams Field 61, Liberty 49

Liberty just looked sloppy out of the gate and looked like they were outmatched in every facet of the game on Wednesday as the Lions were upset by the Blackhawks of Williams Field. Williams Field was led by Caron Perez, Adan Diggs, and Patrice Mpouli in this one as they were responsible for a majority of the Blackhawks’ points. It was a very balanced offensive attack and an aggressive defense for Williams Field, and they look to go on a Cinderella run in the open division.

St Mary’s 56, West Point 50

West Point would play host to the Knights in this matchup, but the Dragons would ultimately fall short. West Point was led by Samuel Kalikilwa and Dewey Henry, with St Mary’s being led by Cameron Williams and Caspian Jones, along with significant contribution from Brody Postorino. This was an exciting game with high octane defense and a lot of clutch buckets in the final stretch for the Knights.

Campo Verde 38, Sunnyslope 66

Campo was simply outclassed by the Vikings of Sunnyslope, losing by 28 points. The Coyotes could not compete with the size and length of Sunnyslope, who were led by Darius Wabbington, Rider Portela, and Delton Prescott. Cristian Simmons and Kade Snyder also pitched in for the Vikings, and they advanced to the next round.