By Don Ketchum

The difference between three straight state basketball championships in the old Class 5A Division II and a spot in the new Division I tournament with many of the bigger schools became painfully apparent to the girls from Tolleson High on Monday (Feb. 20).

The Lady Wolverines were seeded fourth and Chandler Hamilton 12^th for their quarterfinal game at Arizona State’s Wells Fargo Arena.

Hamilton used its size and defensive aggressiveness and the experience from a tougher schedule to send Tolleson home 60-45.

Hamilton (25-7) advances to the semifinals on Thursday (Feb. 23) at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale against top-seeded Mesa Mountain View or No. 8 Chandler, which played later Monday. Tipoff for the semifinal is 4:15 p.m.

Many people expected Tolleson to be the aggressor against Hamilton, using defensive pressure and its running game to build a lead.

It didn’t happen. Hamilton’s quick switches on defense helped to discombobulate Tolleson and the Lady Wolverines (25-8) did not recover.

Hamilton had a 30-23 lead at the half and scored the first six points of the third quarter to establish a firm grip on the game.

Tolleson trailed 40-30 entering the fourth, but Hamilton hit its first 12 free throws of the quarter and finished the period 14 for 16.

Hamilton coach Jeff Kain said his team had more energy, attributing much of that to a 51-49 win in overtime over Mesa Dobson on Friday (Feb. 17), when Hamilton trailed by 12 points.

“We knew they (Tolleson) could shoot, so we had to make sure we got on them early,’’ said Kain, whose team defeated Tolleson 57-50 in a Thanksgiving tournament game on Nov. 26. “Defense is something we always try to work on.’’

Inside player Aliyah Dickson scored 20 points to lead the Huskies and had a strong rebounding effort. Lauren Evans added 15 points and Ashlee Moore had 10.

Desiree Smith led Tolleson with 14 points, Briana White had 12 and Shaylin Heredia 10.