Cameron Palmer is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Betty H. Fairfax High School for AZPreps365.com

Fairfax continued to impress with a 54-42 victory over Campo Verde on Tuesday, an effort that advanced the Stampede to the second round of the state tournament.

The crowd at Betty H. Fairfax High School roared throughout the game. The Stampede entered with a record of 17-1 and faced the 15-3 Campo Verde Coyotes, who were also a Top 5 team in the conference. The tension and anxiety in the gym could be felt.

After a slow start in the first quarter with the Coyotes leading most of the way, the Stampede rallied in the second quarter to make the score 26-19 at halftime.

Coach John Trujillo said his team was somewhat nervous, which led to the slow start.

“I felt that we had to start pressing and getting the girls up and down, so that way they could loosen up a little bit and get those nerves out,” said Trujillo.

Fairfax guard Saniya Jones, who scored a game-high 14 points, shared the same thoughts regarding the slow start. But the team was able to fight back and earn this victory.

“Our team pulled through, after the first quarter, first half, we came back and took the lead,” said Jones. “After the first quarter, we all held each other accountable. After each mistake we all came together in huddle, told each other what we’re doing wrong, and we all came back and focused on what we were doing wrong and progressed.”

After halftime, Fairfax came out on a 6-0 run to make the score 32-19. Strong defense led the way. Point guard Savannah Helms, who had 13 points, played a major role.

“Our defensive performance, I think we did good. In the second half we need to clean up the gaps,” said Helms. “But overall, I think we did a good job on boxing out and getting the rebound and getting out in transition.”

After the victory, Trujillo expressed his joy for his team’s victory while also being prepared about the task at hand when they play Perry High School on Thursday.

“It feels good,'' Trujillo said. "We have a tough task of going to Perry. We played them last year. We lost by one. They have added some more players, so it is going to be tough, but these are all good games to get us ready for state playoffs.”

Power forward Mackenzie Buckner finished with 11 points.

“It felt great,'' she said. "Last year we went out in the first round. So, it feels good to come back and win in the first round."