Strap in, becuase the Division III state title race is expecting a lot of twists and turns, heading into the final stretch of the playoffs.

It's a very competitive division this year. No. 2 seed Snowflake is the defending Division III champ, but it already lost to No. 1 seed Estrella Foothills, which lost in the regular season to No. 5 seed Mingus. 

And don’t forget about No. 3 Scottsdale Christian, which defeated Estrella Foothills early in the season in double overtime.

But the lower seeds also have the potential to pull off some upsets.  

Division III boys quarterfinals

All games at Gila River Arena Feb. 25

No. 5 Mingus (23-7) vs. No. 4 Winslow (24-7), 9 a.m.: Mingus started to turn the corner after its winter break. It’s a very balanced squad with depth. It’s only college-bound player, senior captain Evan Snyder, broke his jaw in practice just before the regular season ended, but the team still defeated two teams, including No. 1 seed Estrella Foothills. Snyder is one of four players who averages seven or more points per game. Mingus loves to run and shoot from beyond the arc. Senior guard Ashton Loring (5.3 assists per game) is the team’s floor leader, but guards Fabian Navarro and Issac Escalante also help control the tempo for Mingus. “Our team has been successful this year because players have bought in to the idea of playing for each other instead of for themselves,” Mingus coach David Beery said. “We have also been confident and have fun while we play and practice.” Winslow lost 77-66 at Mingus on Dec. 16. Seniors Dalvin Benally, Akkeem Foster and Nathan Hanley are averaging double digits in scoring. Benally and Hanley are shooting over 50 percent for Winslow.

No. 6 Window Rock (27-9) vs. No. 3 Scottsdale Christian (24-4), noon: Senior captains Corbin Lenderink and Sam Ortega can score, but their contributions in other areas also helped Scottsdale Christian “tremendously” this season. The team also is receiving a big boost from a couple of freshmen, Reed Myers (12.5 ppg) and Ethan Spry (12.1 ppg), the team’s leading scorers. “They are really freshmen only in name,” coach Bob Fredricks said. “Their work habits and game quality are among the best on the team. The four players mentioned put the off-season time in, working on their shot and overall game quality.” Scottsdale Christian is tall and long this season, qualities it doesn’t tend to possess. “Even though we have had five previous championship teams, none have played a schedule this challenging,” Fredricks said. Window Rock’s Tyrese Brown (12 points, 8.8 rebounds per game) and the team’s top defender, Shammond Goodman (14 ppg, 50% shooter), are the stat leaders for Window Rock. Brandon Chickaway is the vocal leader. Scottsdale Christian has six players who are 6-foot-4 or taller. Window Rock has about four players who are 6-4.

No. 10 North Canyon (19-10) vs. No. 2 Snowflake (29-3), 3 p.m.

North Canyon’s dedicated coach, Michael O’Guinn, is finally experiencing the fruits of a winning season. In O’Guinn’s eight years, North Canyon’s highest win season total prior to this season was eight games. “We play with anger and with a chip on our shoulder,” O’Guinn said. “We play to earn respect and bring pride to our North Canyon community. The players genuinely love each other and respect each others’ strengths. They want to start a tradition of excellence at North Canyon.” Caleb Cota, Charles Howard and football stars John Okwoli and Austin Jackson are helping their team get noticed. “All of those guys possess something special,” O’Guinn said. “Caleb is by far the most skilled player on the team. However, he is very humble and keeps the team loose. Charles is an exceptional athlete that takes pride in defending the other teams' best option. He is the most mature player on our team and the players respect his voice. John is a just a competitor. The kid doesn’t accept losing and pushes others to feel the same. Austin is just a beast, big and strong with great feet in the post, which poses matchup problems.” For Snowflake, the postseason is old hat. In fact, it’s the defending D-III champ and has won 25 or more games in each of its previous five seasons under coach Andy Wood. This year’s team is centered around three seniors, Kurt Wood, Jordan Gardner and Kegan Bjorn. Each one contributed to last year’s title run. Wood, a three-year player, is perhaps the most underrated player in Arizona this year, assistant coach Mike Solomon said in an e-mail. “Kurt leads by both word and deed,” Solomon wrote. “I think his greatest strength is his court vision.” Wood is in the top-20 nationally in assists per game average (9), according to maxpreps’ national stats. Gardner is the “sparkplug” and leads the team in rebounding, steals and points. “I have never seen a kid with so much competitiveness,” said Solomon about Gardner. He’s only 6-1, 190, but Bjorn is the “man-child” of the team because of his jumping ability and tough assignments. Bjorn will likely guard North Canyon’s Jackson (6-6, 270) during the game. “Head coach Andy Wood and staff use and teach a system that deliberately involves all five players on the court,” Solomon said.                  

No. 9 Cibola (24-6) vs. No. 1 Estrella Foothills (27-3), 6 p.m.: Cibola's Devonte Evans, a 6-4 wing player, is receiving interest from junior college and Division II programs. The senior is averaging 18 points and eight boards per game. Not far behind is Michael Gazda (12 points, 6 boards, 5 assists per game). But the duo also receives a lot of help from five other players who are averaging between 5-6 points per game. Having that many bodies contributing allows the team to run the floor a lot. Hats off to head coach Ronald Bratton and his staff for leading Cibola to its best regular season in the past 26 years. Five of the team’s six losses came against D-I Basha and Dobson, a D-I Nevada playoff team, Desert Oasis, and D-II annual playoff contender Copper Canyon. “We have to try to play a challenging schedule,” Bratton said. Estrella Foothills is an experienced team that has won its section in three of the past four seasons. Seniors Rex Greabell, Antaveus Brown and Joe Logan have won 80-plus games during their careers at Estrella Foothills. That experience helped pull the squad through its second round game, when poor ball handling almost derailed the team. The 6-7 Greabell and Brown, a swing man who will likely matchup with Cibola’s Evans, are Estrella Foothills’ leaders. Greabell is a threat down low but can also shoot from the outside. Brown also is an inside-outside threat. Logan does a lot of the dirty work for Estrella Foothills. Point guard Ricky Robinson has a 6-to-1 assist to turnover ratio per game. Graebell’s brother, Grant, is averaging 13 points per game. “They have traded in their individual egos for the collective one,” Estrella Foothills coach Rich Gutwein said. “They take exceptional pride in defending as a team.”