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

In the first round of the 5A state championship, the Fairfax Stampede defeated the Willow Canyon Wildcats in dominating fashion, 74-39.

Fairfax advances to the quarterfinals.

Fairfax got off to a slow start until coach John Trujillo called timeout. From that point, the game changed. The Stampede went on a 10-0 run in the middle of the first quarter and ended the quarter tied at 16-16. While the game continued to be close, the Stampede began to pull away in the second quarter.

The defensive effort and energy were noticed early in the game as Trujillo and his team knew what needed to be done to get closer to their ultimate accomplishment.

“We are four wins away from achieving our goals, so they got to give 150% and we have to play top-notch defense, we have to rebound the basketball, those are the keys, and we got to make sure that we run. That’s our game right now, getting up and down that floor,” said Trujillo.

Fairfax center Dianalynn Howell, who scored 18 points, shared the same ideas about the Stampede’s staunch defense and overall play.

"I think every day we have something to fix but I think we did good. We kept the energy up,” said Howell.

The stellar defense was not the only factor in the Stampede's domination. They scored in the paint with Howell and power forward Mackenzie Buckner, who scored a game-high 22 points, leading the way. Buckner credited the Stampede’s aggressive approach to why they were able to score in the paint.

Point guard Savannah Helms also agreed that getting the basketball in the paint created advantages for the Stampede, but it was also their strategy that played a key role.

“Being able to feed the ball inside and just getting it spread out and being calm and being able to get everyone in their spot,” said Helms.

With the victory, the Stampede will now look to play Cactus Shadows or Nogales in the quarterfinals. But regardless of who the Stampede play, Trujillo will have his team prepared and ready to compete in the 5A State championship.

“Back to the drawing board,'' Trujillo said. "We got to stay humble, we got to get back in the lab tomorrow and then we have to get ready for a tough one on Tuesday either against Cactus Shadows or Nogales."