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San Carlos Boys Advance to State Quarterfinals
The No. 3-seed San Carlos boys’ basketball team reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 Division V State Championship after a lopsided 57 – 38 victory over No. 19-seed Williams last Saturday in Prescott Valley.
The Braves, who were the No. 1-ranked in Division V most of the season, will take on No. 6-seed Santa Cruz Valley on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Prescott Valley Event Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
A win against the Dust Devils would advance the Braves to the semifinals on Friday night versus the winner between No. 7-seed Red Mesa and No. 18 Superior. That game is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
Visit www.azpreps365.com for complete bracket results and game information.
Vandals Suffer Upset Loss in OT at State Tourney
The Section IV Champion Miami boys’ basketball team earned a first-round bye, in part the result of winning the section tournament two weekends ago, but the No. 8-seed Vandals couldn’t take advantage of the extra rest. They were eliminated from the 2016 Division V State Championship in the second round following a 65 – 64 OT loss to No. 9-seed NFL Yet Academy last Saturday in Prescott Valley.
The lower-seeded Eagles defeated No. 24-seed Ash Fork in the first round, 68 – 62.
The loss ends a magical season for the Vandals, who won 21 games this season, their most in at least the last 12 seasons. The finished 11 – 1 in Section IV, claiming the section title as well.
This was also the Vandals first winning season since the 2007-08 season, when they went 15 – 10.
Visit www.azpreps365.com for complete bracket results and game information.
Lady Braves Steamroll Mogollon in State Tournament
The San Carlos girls’ basketball team was eliminated the Section IV Championship two weeks ago after a first-round bye and the Lady Braves must have learned from their mistakes, steamrolling No. 13-seed Mogollon 71 – 45 last Saturday in the second round of the 2016 Division V State Championship, which took place in Prescott Valley.
The No. 4-seed Lady Braves, who also earned a first-round bye in the state tournament, will take on No. 12 Red Mesa in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Prescott Valley Event Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
San Carlos senior Maria Kozie scored a game-high 27 points and was one of three Lady Braves to reach double figures in the second-round win last weekend. Adrianna Haozous and Kelsey Martine finished with 18 and 10 points, respectively.
Freshman Beyonce Cutter was 3-of-4 from behind the three-point arc and ended with nine points, three rebounds and a steal. Kozie also led the team with five assists while Haozous led the team with six rebounds and eight steals.
A win over Red Mesa would advance the Lady Braves to the semifinals on Saturday, where they would face the winner between No. 8-seed St. Michael and No. 1 Valley (Sanders). That game is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Visit www.azpreps365.com for complete bracket results and game information.
Tigers Narrowly Miss Trip to State Q-Finals
After upsetting No. 14-seed Pusch Ridge Christian Academy 56 – 50 in the first-round of the 2016 Division IV State Championship last Friday, the No. 19-seed Globe boys’ basketball team narrowly missed pulling off a second-consecutive upset in the next round.
The Tigers were defeated by No. 3-seed Buckeye Union on Saturday in Prescott Valley, 75 – 71.
Robert Holmes (19 points), Braden Dalton (13), and BJ Burries (18) combined to score 50 of the Tigers’ 56 points in the opening-round win against the higher-seeded Lions.
Dalton had 31 points and Burries added 27 in the loss to Buckeye Union. The duo accounted for nearly 82 percent of the Tigers’ scoring output.
The Tigers finished the season with a winning 16 – 14 record, their first since the 2011-12 season and first under head coach James Simmons. This was only Tigers’ second winning season since winning the 3A State Championship in 2003.
Visit www.azpreps365.com for complete bracket results and game information.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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