Open Quarterfinal Preview and Predictions

And then there were 8, the field of 32 has narrowed to just 8 teams as we await Friday night, when 4 quarterfinal games will tip off at 7 PM around the state. The state’s top 8 seeds advanced to the quarterfinals, proving that the top 8 teams were rightfully seeded. There are going to be 4 exciting games this Friday, with all of the matchups exciting and suspenseful.

8 Ironwood vs 1 Perry

The Perry Pumas look to be on their way to winning their fourth straight state championship, which head coach Sam Duane has already done, but at Corona del Sol. Ironwood is coming off a 5A title last year, so they have much needed postseason experience. Ironwood will be the heavy underdog, but it will be a closer game then most people believe it will be. I’Yar Shadowvine is a special guard, and Josh Dillard has been an enforcing forward all season. But the firepower of Perry is too much: Bruce Branch, D’Andre Harrison, Dominic Avalos, NoNo Brown, and 5 star Koa Peat. That starting five strikes fear into the hearts of the Pumas’ opponents. Ironwood shoots the ball at an outstanding clip from three, and they will need to hit nearly every single shot to have a chance in this one. Perry will get the win, but it will be close for about two and a half quarters.

PREDICTION: Ironwood 67, Perry 82

5 O’Connor vs 4 Basha

Basha squeaked by a feisty Deer Valley team last Friday, and O’Connor dominated Higley. The Bears may be without star guard Mason Magee in this one. He did not play last week against Deer Valley after injuring his knee against ALA Gilbert North. This would be an extremely tough matchup, even with Magee, and the Bears will need their role players to step up big time if they want to pull off the win. Michael Simcoe, Colton Watson, and Landon Wilson have been on fire lately. O’Connor is a beast of a team, with an extremely tall starting lineup for the high school level. It will most likely be freshman stud Lleyton Leonard guarding UCSB commit Michael Simcoe, who it will be necessary to get in foul trouble for the Bears to win. Desean Middlebrook will also need to step up defensively, along with Drew Alexander. DJ Detrizio was the one to step up for the Bears last week against Deer Valley, and he will need to do so again in Magee’s absence. O’Connor’s height will be too much for the Bears for the end, as it will be a classic matchup that will be controlled by the ability to get rebounds on the offensive glass, and O’Connor definitely has the advantage in that department. Coach Mike Grothaus will have to get his team to be aggressive, play with pace, and be clinical when shooting the three to pull off the win without Magee.

PREDICTION: O’Connor 73, Basha 69

6 Notre Dame Prep vs 3 Millennium

Millennium has looked like the second most dominant team in the open bracket, dominating Catalina Foothills and Canyon View. Millennium has had a lot of motivation to play behind as their head coach, Ty Amundsen, suffered a heart attack last week. He showed up for the game against Canyon View, and he will be back on the bench being a head coach for the quarterfinal matchup with the Saints. JT Amundsen and Cameron Holmes have been very good lately, and Kingston Tosi is bound to have a dominant performance eventually. Adrian Higuera and Quincy Everson are very talented guards that should also eventually breakout. Bryce Quinet and Will Feagles are the main men for Notre Dame, and they will have to have phenomenal performances in order for the Saints to pull off the upset. Bryce Stebbins will also need to have a good game for the Saints to pull off the win. Millennium will just be too much in a sense, as they will continue to dominate.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame Prep 61, Millennium 87

7 Boulder Creek vs 2 Sunnyslope

Boulder Creek and Sunnyslope should be one of the most exciting games of the whole season, with Sunnyslope coming off a narrow win over St. Mary’s and Boulder Creek beat Williams Field with ease. Boulder Creek has gotten great performances from Mick Riordan, Andrew Bhesania, and Matthew Delgado in their two playoff wins. The Jaguars will go into a hostile environment at Sunnyslope, as the Vikings’ faithful always show up in numbers for big games. Sunnyslope is headlined by sophomore duo Delton Prescott and Darius Wabbington, along with Rider Portela. Cristian Simmons and Kade Snyder have also been playing very well. Sunnyslope has one of the best coaches in the state as well with Ray Portela calling plays from the sideline. Sunnyslope has had a lot of playoff experience in the past, making the state finals two years ago in 2023. Sunnyslope is looking to make a trip back to Veterans Memorial Coliseum in a week from Saturday, but they will need to get past this tough Boulder Creek team first. The Jags will make the trip down from Anthem to central Phoenix for this matchup. Sunnyslope should have the advantage in this one, as they are a deeper team with better weapons then Boulder Creek. Sunnyslope will win an instant classic.