Dorian Zavala is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Saguaro High School for AZPreps 365.

The Saguaro Sabercats advance to the AIA open championships as they trounce the ALA-QC Patriots 54-32 Thursday night.

As the gym was filling up for the game in the opening round of the AIA Basketball State Championships play-in tournament, the fans of the Saguaro Sabercats couldn't contain their excitement as they playfully taunted the opposing team during the pregame shoot-around.

The Sabercats are looking to advance into the state championship tournament just as they did the previous season. The only difference is that the team wants to get past the tournament's first round.

The game began with both teams playing sloppy basketball, with Saguaro finishing the quarter with a 6-4 lead.

"We definitely had a slow start but defensively we were OK which allowed us to get a hold on the game after that first quarter," said coach Aria Ham.

As the second quarter went on, the Sabercats defense, led by sophomore point guard Jaeda Brown, allowed the Sabercats to go on a 16-2 run, ultimately sealing the game for Saguaro.

"My team has good ball movement which changed the game for us … our positive energy really helped us get back into the game," said Brown.

During the second half, Saguaro continued their offensive dominance over the Patriots, led by sophomore guard Alexa Simpson.

"Definitely us communicating on the backside and just being more hype for each other and making sure the defense was better going forward was the difference for us," said Simpson.

Saguaro will lean on both Simpson and Brown as they shift their focus to the State Championship tournament. Their defensive play will be essential, especially as the seniors try to close this season with a trip to the championship.

"I see my seniors leaving this year and I would like to make it a good run so stealing the ball and playing defense will help us make it a good run," said Brown.

The Sabercats will have to wait to find out who their opponent will be but will play the first round of the State Championship Tournament Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.