Not surprisingly, the St. Mary’s girls basketball team that just completed a 30-0 season and second consecutive big-school state championship was recently ranked No. 1 by USA Today and ESPN.com.
The Knights met with and were honored by Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday morning at the state capitol for their national honors and second consecutive title.
Gatorade state player of the year Shilpa Tummala (Harvard) and Cortnee Walton (Louisville) are the lone seniors on the team. Knights coach Curtis Ekmark was recently named the Naismith Girls High School Basketball Coach of the …

Kasey McCravey, Desert Mtn., Sr., G
Batabe Zempare, Chaparral, Sr., F
Casey Rarrick, Saguaro, So., G
Caylee Vasquez, Saguaro, Sr., G
Megan Gillespie, Arcadia, Sr. G
Gabrielle Evans, Arcadia, Sr., G

Players of the Year:  Mariah Willadsen (Red Mtn.); Arnecia Hawkins (Mtn. View)
Coach of the Year:  Martin Appel (Red Mtn.)
First Team
Katherine Hamilton, Dobson, Jr., G
Tori Lloyd, Dobson, So., G
Renee Coggins, Mtn. View, Jr., G
Jordan Jensen, Mtn. View, Jr., F
Shea Brown, Red Mtn., Sr., F
Second Team
Miyah Leith, Dobson, So., G
Erica Vasquez, Red Mtn., Jr., G
Gabi Alonzo,  Red Mtn., Sr., G
Aubrey Smith,  Skyline, Sr., G
Yasmine Woodard, Westwood, Sr., G

It was supposed to happen a year ago.
Tempe Prep felt had its best girls basketball team in school history. The Knights had never been past the second round of a state tournament, but the 2010-2011 team was the one to break through.
Instead, Desert Christian knocked them out of the second round of the Class 1A tournament.
“That was bitter,” Tempe Prep coach Nancy Calahan said. “We thought we’d get further than that.”
A year later, they did. The Knights’ defense was their catalyst to last Saturday’s Div. IV state championship with …

I touched on this in the game story of Seton Catholic’s third consecutive state championship in a 52-44 win over Peoria in the Division II girls championship game to begin Championship Saturday, but it was a crazy sequence when Seton scored a 5-on-0 layup coming out of a timeout.
Peoria coach Leslie Saulsby certainly didn’t mince words with the officiating or the AIA during or after the game. Most of the rest of the second half he was visibly ticked off at the officiating and members of the AIA sitting courtside, and …

You can’t get to the state tournament semifinals without a lot of (team)work, talent, coaching and a little luck, but this is girls basketball, and nobody wants going skimp on the swank either.
The “Best Shoes” award goes to Hamilton, as their starting five mixes a nice blend of bright yellow, purple, blue and perhaps someone might have a pair with polka dots or Zubaz stripes from the early 1990′s. We’ll see if it blinds Mountain View players when they play Thursday at 4:15 p.m. at Jobing.com Arena.
After their win against …

It’s the final go-round of regular season games for girls basketball. Everything wraps up Friday night and Sectionals from each Division begin next Tuesday, with semifinals set for Thursday night and championship games on Friday night, Feb. 10  (Division IV girls are Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday).
The top eight teams in each Section advance to the Sectional Tournament, which is single elimination. If a team wins its first game in the Sectional Tournament it should advance to the state tournament.
(All games are 7 p.m.  and records are PP games only through Monday).
Pinnacle at St. …

The Suns are taking nominations for its annual Spirit of Cotton Award which honors a deserving boys or girls basketball coach in Arizona.
The award recognizes a high school basketball coach who consistently demonstrates the best qualities of coach, educator, mentor and community leader. All high school head basketball coaches are eligible to be nominated. Nominations can be made by a community member, fellow coach, teacher, school administrator or student-athlete. The Spirit of Cotton Award winner receives a $10,000 grant from the Suns for use in that school’s athletic program, plus …

A day (or two) late again, but while soccer is in its final few days, girls basketball regular season is in its final week before the new Sectional tournaments (the top 8 teams from each sectional play in its respective tournament, which counts toward power points) at the beginning of February.
It’s a light schedule in terms of big attractions for this week’s games, but next week will more than make up for it.
(All records are power point games only through Tuesday night):
Xavier at Westwood (Wednesday):  The Gators (9-5) are currently …

A day late (and more than a dollar short these days), so apologies for being late with this Week in (Pre-)view of top girls basketball games this week as we hit the stretch run before sectional tournaments.  So without further ado let’s get to some jam-packed schedules……..
(All records are for power point games only through  Monday. All games at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise):
Red Mountain at Hamilton (Tuesday):  It’s the No. 2 Lions (9-4) against No. 4 Hamilton (9-1) in a hecukva “freedom” game matchup. Backcourts will rule the show …