The boys basketball sectional tournaments begin Wednesday for the higher divisions, and some great matchups are on the horizon. Here is how I think the East Valley-centric Division I and II sectionals will shake out (with apologies to the lower divisions, which I didn’t see enough to make an educated guess).
Division I, Section II (at Mesquite)
First round: No. 1 Corona del Sol over No. 8 Dobson; No. 5 Gilbert over No. 4 Buena; No. 6 Red Mountain over No. 3 Ironwood Ridge; No. 2 Basha over No. 7 Hamilton.
Corona shouldn’t …

Similar to the boys side, the girls schedules are back in-full (and possibly overload) coming down the stretch with only three more weeks of regular season action left, and a lot of schools facing a lot of matches in not-a-lot of days.
(Records are power point matches only as of Monday, Jan. 9).
Gilbert at Highland (Tuesday):  Gilbert-school matchups rarely disappoint, and the high-powered Hawks (5-1) and steady Tigers (4-1) shouldn’t either. Highland won 4-2 in the first meeting on Dec. 21. Given the remaining schedule, Gilbert might have the best chance …

We’re about halfway through the boys basketball season, and here are a few thoughts on what I’ve seen thus far:
* Corona del Sol is the Division I favorite.  Coach Sam Duane has only had every player available in one game this season, but the team has still been very impressive, and is expected to be full strength next week. Arizona State-bound shooting guard Calaen Robinson is the team’s scoring leader and best player, but the supporting cast is very good. Avery Moss is one of the state’s better post players …

Sooner or later, Corona del Sol is going to play a full week of basketball with its entire roster available.
Until then, the Aztecs will just keep on winning.
Avery Moss, Andrus Peat and Cassius Peat all missed the team’s game against American Fork (Utah) on Friday, but it hardly mattered as Calaen Robinson’s 30 points led top-ranked Corona to a 77-56 victory in the VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge at Mountain View. The Aztecs (13-1) have won 11 consecutive games.
“We’ve had injuries and we’ve had a lot of things go on, but it’s …

The VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge has filled out its Friday schedule, which can be found here.
The featured attractions will be South Sioux City (Neb.) against Pinnacle at noon followed by Corona del Sol against American Fork (Utah) at 1:30 p.m. Pinnacle and Corona del Sol have been the most impressive Arizona teams in the tournament, while South Sioux City and American Fork have been the best out-of-state teams.
All four are undefeated heading into Thursday’s action.
 

I watched No. 2 Pinnacle play against Oakland McClymonds and No. 1 Corona del Sol face off with Anchorage Bartlett in back-to-back games at the VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge this afternoon.
These two teams, along with Desert Vista and Basha, have been the most impressive Division I teams from the East Valley this year.
Pinnacle defeated McClymonds 87-52, shooting 60.7 percent for the game and hitting 13-of-20 three-pointers to improve to 13-1 on the season.
Corona del Sol watched its 18-point second half lead drop to four in the final minute, but the Aztecs …

The Corona del Sol wrestling team captured the Moon Valley Invitational over the weekend. The Aztecs finished with 504 team points, followed by Desert Vista in second with 495 points and Horizon in 3rd with 483 points.
The Aztecs had one individual champion, as freshman Daniel Cartagena won at 138 pounds with a victory over Michael Suwyn (Glendale Mountain Ridge) in the finals.  Daniel is 23-0 so far this year.
The Aztecs also had two runners-up:  Zach Walton (132 pounds) and Ethan Tursini at (145 pounds). Jason Landrum took fourth at 152, …

Corona del Sol boys basketball  forward Avery Moss has missed the first six games of the regular season with a shoulder injury, and there’s no timetable for his return.
“We just want him healthy for the stretch drive,” Corona del Sol coach Sam Duane said. “Right now it’s building some depth for us. Guys are having to play, so that’s a good thing.”
Moss, a senior, has started since his sophomore season and averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds a year ago for the Aztecs. Moss teams with Andrus Peat as the …

Stanford junior shortstop Ashley Hansen was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Tuesday.
Hansen, a former Corona del Sol standout catcher, was third in the NCAA with a .495 average, had an on-base percentage of .558 and struck out only five times this season.
Hansen was also the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2009.
The other finalists for the award included Arizona State’s Katelyn Boyd, a Horizon product.

First Team
P: Michelle Duncan (Gilbert); Kailey Regester (Basha); Jacklin Lewis (Dobson)
C: Savannah Panell (Highland); Katie Tripp (Corona del Sol)
1B: Kayla Carter (Highland)
2B: Courtney Hiruko  (Basha)
SS: Heather Shomperlen (Mtn. View)
3B: Erin Manuel  (Mtn.  View)
IF: Ayssa Vargas (Mesquite); Lauren Regester (Basha)
OF: Ashley Moffatt (Highland); Abby Spiel (Corona del Sol); Cassie Vela (Gilbert); Annie Dyer (Mtn. View)
UT: Theresa Asta (Basha); Domi Shone (Mesquite)
Second Team
P: Val Kaff (Mtn. View); McKenna Isenberg (Corona del Sol)
C: Morgan Browning (Dobson); Sidney Ryan (Mtn. View)
1B: Katie Harvill (Gilbert)
2B: Kailey Olcott (Dobson)
SS: Hailey Maher (Basha)
3B: Alex Vela …