PRESCOTT — Addie Prisciandaro scored 25 points, Bella Abt added 16 and Prescott punched their ticket to the 4A state playoffs for the first time in eight years with a 62-45 win over Coconino on Thursday night.

It is the sixth straight win for the Badgers (18-8, 9-2 4A Grand Canyon), which used a 24-10 fourth-quarter run to put the Panthers away and earn a bracket spot for a chance at a title.

“I’m super proud of these kids. You know, we’re really young and inexperienced, and I think we had a little nerves tonight being in a position we haven’t been before,” Prescott head coach Jami Johnson said. “But, the second half we came out and showed that we can get the job done.”

Johnson, who took over the program in 2021, said although the team is on “Cloud 9” with this win, they’re not done.

“[These girls] take a lot of pride in what they’ve accomplished,” Johnson said. “They are really competitive, though, so it won’t be enough. They will go into the next game wanting to win.”

The Badgers trailed 22-21 at halftime, but outscored Coconino 41-23 over the final 16 minutes of basketball, and Prisciandaro was right in the middle of it with 10 points in the fourth quarter.

“She is a phenomenal shooter, but she has progressed her game and finding other ways to score and getting past all the pressure that’s put on her,” Johnson said about her super sophomore. “She really has a bright future.”

Abt, another sophomore, said the team was confident in Thursday night’s result.

“We definitely walked into this game like, ‘This is our game, we’re going to win this, we just need to bear down.’ … Play our game,” Abt said. “And I think we did a good job accomplishing that, just playing our game. I’m very proud of all of us.”

For Coconino (12-13, 6-4 4A Grand Canyon), junior Aviana Scharfenberger did all she could to get her club over the top, scoring 32 points, including 13 of her teams 14 points in the second quarter on three 3-pointers to give the Panthers a halftime lead, but it wasn’t enough.

No other Panther scored more than four points.

RECENT HISTORY

The Badgers last played meaningful mid-February games during the 2015-16 season when they made an Elite 8 appearance before losing to Sierra Linda, 53-23.

That group won 22 games, but in the seven seasons leading up to this year, Prescott finished far below .500 each season, including a 2-20 mark during the 2021-22 campaign.

They were 50-114 during that timeframe.

But this season, Prescott has won 18 games, including 11 of their past 12 since Jan. 1. Their only blemish? A 59-55 loss to this very same Coconino club Jan. 23 in Flagstaff.

UP NEXT

The AIA is scheduled to release the 4A Girls Basketball State Championship bracket Saturday morning on AzPreps365.com, with games beginning Feb. 22.

With the Badgers being a No. 16 seed during the state play-in round, they will be on the road to open the tournament.

Watch AzPreps365.com for more.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.