Josh Amick is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover McClintock High for AZPreps365.com

McClintock High is rolling.

Entering Thursday night's girls basketball showdown against Fairfax, the Chargers are riding a 16-game winning streak and sit atop the 5A Metro Region with a 14-1 overall record and 9-0 mark in regional play.

The Fairfax Stampede are 15-1 overall with a 9-1 record in regional play. Their only loss was to the Chargers, 58-39, on Jan. 13. McClintock sophomore guard Aiyanna Perkins led all scorers with 21 points in the win. She ranks sixth in the state in scoring, with an average of 21.9 points per game.

“What worked for us during the last game was just sticking to the game plan and doing everything we worked on in practice,'' Perkins said. "The challenges Fairfax brings is they like to run in transition and play a fast-paced game. We don’t want to start speeding up our play according to them, so we just have to stay true to ourselves." 

This is the first year the Chargers and Stampede have faced off in regional play as the Chargers were in the Northeast Valley Region last year where they finished second. Part of that success comes from coach Sydnie Lengyel, who has been with the school for only three years.

“Last year was the first time McClintock made the playoffs in over a decade,'' Lengyel said. "This year is the highest McClintock has ever been ranked. A regional championship in girls basketball has not been won since 08-09 so this is a big grab for us.”

Senior guard Xaria Culver has been here through the McClintock coaching changes, the regional change and their record-breaking winning streak. “Confidence has been the key to all of this,'' Culver said. "We have stayed together as a team and held each other accountable. We became so close this year, we have become family."

The family mindset is evident at practice. You can hear the chatter with the girls yelling, “switch” or “stay home” as soon as you enter the gymnasium. With the ending of each drill, you see the team giving each other high fives or words of encouragement, even when the drill is not run properly.

“During our practices we prepare for anybody and everyone,'' senior forward Isabelle Green said. "We study certain teams and their tendencies and we try to add that to our game plan but it's about physicality and doing every drill perfectly. We are getting pushed hard everyday in practice so when it comes to game time it is nothing because of the work we are putting in.”

Thursday's matchup tips-off at 7 p.m. at McClintock High in Tempe. All students get in for free and the home team is doing a "white out" for the game.

“We are hoping a lot of people turn out for the game and the energy in the building is high, because it definitely will be on the court,'' Green said.