Boy's Division II Soccer Preview
Girls DII Soccer Preview
Pusch Ridge overcame a rough start Friday night but the Lions eventually pulled away from Sahuarita for a 52-37 win. The Lions (18-7) are ranked 12th in Division IV while the Mustangs (2-20) are struggling in D-III.
No. 5 Amphitheater and No. 6 Catalina and No. 7 Flowing Wells came into the final day of the regular season knowing they were all in the state Division III playoffs but the Section III title along with a better seed and the chance to host a first round match was still up for grabs. Throw in No. 9 Vista Grande and this section turned out to be one of the best in the state.
Douglas beat Tanque Verde 50-43 Wednesday night in a game both teams probably needed to win to secure a spot in the Division IV, Section II sectional and a shot at the state playoffs.
Flowing Wells defeated Casa Grande 5-1 Tuesday night to claim the Division III, Section III title. The win guarantees a state playoff spot for the 14th ranked Caballeros, the first postseason appearance since the program made the semifinal round in 2010.
The Soccer Bracket Show is coming this Friday. Let's take a preview of what Division II might look like for the boys.
Tucson High senior Alexis Cortez is continuing her climb up the career scoring list for the state of Arizona. The East Carolina commit is now eighth on that list with 2,319 career points. With four regular season games remaining and possibly a sectional game and a state playoff game in the mix, ending in the top five is within reach.
Liberty won the team portion of the Diego Gadea Salpointe Invitational with a score of 251. The complete list of winners is found below but first a bit about the invitational itself.
The state soccer playoffs are drawing near and some of the teams punched their ticket to the show Friday night while others are still battling for a spot. The No.4 Salpointe girls won the Division II, Section VI title thanks to a 3-2 overtime win at No. 6 Tucson and the No. 3 Tucson boys drew a bit closer to a title thanks to their 3-1 overtime win at No. 16 Salpointe.
The bracketing formula for the various sectional tournaments has been set. All of Division I and Division II, Section I have decided not to have a section tournament which means the regular season champion will earn the automatic state berth from those sections.
The AIA Soccer Bracket Show is scheduled for next Friday Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. 16 teams from each of the four divisions will qualify for the state playoffs with the top team from each section earning an automatic berth.
MLK Basketball Classic
Monday, Jan. 18: University of Arizona McKale Center
Presented by Coaches for Charity.
Ironwood Ridge won the team portion of the 50th Flowing Wells Invitational held Friday and Saturday with a score of 222.5. The Nighthawks entered the final round with a 13.5 lead over two-time defending champion Mesa Mountain View (130.5 to 117) and held on for the victory.
Ironwood Ridge and Tucson played to a 1-1 tie Friday night in an important Division II, Section VI match. With the tie, both teams remain within striking distance of Salpointe for the section lead.
Ironwood Ridge coach Tim Berrier named NFHS National Coach of the Year
Paradise Valley held on to defeat Marana Mountain View 46-43 Tuesday night to remain undefeated (11-0) in power-ranking games. Ranked No. 2 in the current Division II AIA/MaxPreps rankings, the Trojans are 16-2 overall with their two losses coming during invitationals.
No. 8 Gilbert Christian held on for a 51-48 win at No. 7 Catalina Foothills in a rare Division II battle played on a Saturday night. Senior standout Mitch Lightfoot led all scorers with 29 points.
Ironwood Ridge had a difficult time shaking Basha last night but the Nighthawks pulled away with a 51-46 win to improve to 7-1 in power ranking games. Oh, and along the way, senior standout Lexy Ram set an important scoring milestone.
They say basketball is a game of runs and that was the case Tuesday night when Salpointe Catholic came back from nine points down only to give up an 11-point lead before outlasting Sunnyside 74-68 in overtime.
Chumacera was named the Most Valuable Player of The Grove Invitational Saturday after Sunnyside (14-1) blew through the field to win the championship. The Blue Devils outscored their opponents 16-1 along the way including a 4-0 dismantling of Catalina Foothills on Wednesday, a 2-0 win over Rincon/University in the semifinal round and a 2-0 domination of Nogales in the final.
The 2015 version of The Flowing Wells Holiday Shootout and the Northwest Desert Classic came to an end Wednesday night with the Cienega girls defeating Sahuaro 44-39 at Flowing Wells, the Ironwood Ridge girls winning the NW Desert Classic 55-39 over Tucson and the Pusch Ridge boys defeating Globe 83-45.
HOLIDAY HOOPS: Flowing Wells Shootout & NW Desert Classic
The Grove Soccer Invitational
Dec. 28-Jan. 2: Walden Grove
Palo Verde defeated Douglas 6-0 in the championship game of the Palo Verde Invitational Tuesday afternoon to remain perfect on the year. The Titans are 14-0 overall, 5-0 in power-ranking games and 2-0 in section play heading into the winter break.
1881 articles by Andy Morales