By Skye Merida​

In an intense and competitive Division I state quarterfinal game Tuesday, Hamilton's girls basketball team took down Gilbert 45-40 at Wells Fargo Arena. 

Junior center Maya Banks scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading Hamilton to the semifinals. Hamilton head coach Trevor Neider tried to make Banks an even bigger part of the offense after Hamilton's second leading scorer, Makayla Filiere, went down with an injury early in the game. 

"When we lost Filiere in the first quarter, our philosophy changed a little bit more," Neider said. "We definitely had Maya in the game plan, but it just became more of a priority. She moved up a notch on that list, and she responded well with big play after big play." 

Banks said that her mindset changed during the fourth quarter, and that she became more aggressive.  

"The team was down, and we needed to get going," Banks said. "My team believed in me. They kept passing me the ball, and I just kept scoring. " 

Bank's big performance helped offset Gilbert's resilient effort behind the play of freshmen guards Haley and Hanna Cavinder, who combined for 28 points in a losing effort. Neider said the Cavinders are great players and made some big shots, but Hamilton's defense made it difficult for them down the stretch. 

Neider also said that he's proud of the way his girls fought, and he's excited to be heading to the semifinals. 

"We had goals to get there (semifinals)," said Neider about his team's opportunity to fight for a state championship. "You want to get to that final four, and we found a way. We talked about overcoming anything that's thrown at us. I really think the girls did that." 

Hamilton's sophomore guard Maddie Frederick added 12 points, including seven from the foul line. Frederick expressed how proud she was of her team's performance, but also noted that they can still improve.  

"It was a great team win," Frederick said. "There's definitely some things we can work on, and coach will help us prepare for that this week. We're looking forward to getting more practice in, working together, coming together as a team, and executing again."  

Banks agreed that Hamilton can still learn some things.

On Tuesday, she learned that it's hard to stop her. 

"I learned that I can score with five people on me," Banks said jokingly. "I'd say that's a pretty good thing to know."

Skye Merida is a sports journalism student at Arizona State University.