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 three-week crush is on everywhere to get one of those 24 playoff spots come February. Appetites were whetted by the terrific Chandler-St. Mary’s matchup last Friday night, but more good stuff is coming quickly.
(All games at 7 p.m.  Records are power point games only as of Monday, Jan. 9).
Xavier at Highland (Monday):  Talk about starting off the week with a bang, the Gators (6-2) and Hawks (6-1) could meet again after this, somewhere along the lines of a state quarterfinals matchup. If you like shooting, defense and fundamentals, this …

A few years ago, I did a story examining the state of girls basketball in Arizona, and I’ll always remember the reaction of one local coach.
During the interview, she mentioned that the area was much-improved. Once the recorder was off, though, she let me know that Arizona was still way behind the top states and that the talent here just couldn’t compete.
Now fast forward to Thursday, where Arizona had a very good showing at the Nike Tournament of Champions, the top girls basketball tournament in the nation.
Chandler, Mountain View and …

An Arizona legend, David Lopez, walked away from coaching boys basketball at St. Mary’s (though he’ll still teach math at the school), a program which was in ruins when he arrived 18 years ago, and he turned kids who were often poor, troubled, or both, into a perennial championship contender with enrollments three-to-five-times smaller than opponents.
I caught up with him later Thursday night, the day he officially called it quits……..for now.  He’ll resurface somewhere in the coaching world. He isn’t – nor should he be – remotely concerned about being …

As chronicled by Mark Heller in our cover story on Wednesday, St. Mary’s has been hit hard by the departure of key players.
The Knights’ loss, though, is Marcos de Niza’s gain.
The Padres made the 5A-II title game two seasons ago and the quarterfinals last year, and most view them as the third best team in Division II heading into this season behind Chaparral and Peoria Centennial.
Marcos lost several key athletes from last year’s team, including running back Anthony Shivers, wide receiver Martwon Weaver  and defensive back JeRyan Butler. That blow …

White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko and Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier are each among five players remaining for the final MLB All-Star game slot in the American and National Leagues, respectively.
The game is being played at Chase Field here in Phoenix on July 12, and since both are Arizona-grown, the two have teamed up to campaign for the final two spots.
Ethier, a former St. Mary’s standout, is hitting .321 with seven homers and 41 RBIs this year. Konerko, who played for Chaparral, is hitting .319 with 21 home runs and …

The recruiting hype around softball is nothing compared with football, but looking back now, it’s clear how important it was for Arizona State to land Dallas Escobedo, now a freshman at the school.
The former St. Mary’s star dominated Arizona softball batters throughout her prep career and showed well in national showcases, but moving up to the college level seemed like it could be an adjustment.
However, her dominance from day one has set up the Sun Devils very nicely for the rest of this year, and the next three seasons. Escobedo …

Desert Valley All-Region softball team
Chaparral
Skylar Weinstein,  So., P
Bryce Villalapando, Sr., 1B
Sam Davis,  Sr., 2B
Ashtyn Coleman,  So., OF  (honorable mention)
Kerry Durnan,  Sr., 3B  (honorable mention)
Desert Mountain
Kasey McCravey, Jr., SS
Ashley Palmer, Jr., 1B
Andy Wellins, So., P
Maddie Francis, Sr., 3B (honorable mention)
Jessica Guffey, Sr., OF (honorable mention)
Horizon
Leah White,  Sr., C
Allison Schullo, Sr., P
Jamie Morgan, Sr., 3B
Nicole Newbury, Jr., SS
Margaret Stahm, So., 1B
Holly Twarog, Sr., C  (honorable mention)
Taylor Holland, So., P  (honorable mention)
Pinnacle
Jenna Makis, Sr., P
Haley Walker, Sr., OF
Katie McCallister,  Jr., 3B
Shea Palmer, Jr., OF
Makenzi Dallas,  Sr., SS  (honorable mention)
Willow Kalinen, So., OF  (honorable …

Three days later, It became official:  Todd Williamson is the new football coach at St. Mary’s.
Williamson was Phoenix Central’s coach for the past three seasons after being promoted from defensive coordinator. He was with the school since 2005. Williamson led Central to the 2009 postseason while setting various school records each of the last two seasons. Williamson was named Metro Conference Coach of the Year in 2009.
“Todd Williamson is exactly the right person to lead our football program at this time,” principal Suzanne Fessler said in a …

Dallas Escobedo mowed down hitters at an impressive rate in her decorated four years at Phoenix St. Mary’s.
Now the Arizona State freshman hurler is already making an impression on the college softball landscape.
Escobedo was named the Amateur Softball Association’s Collegiate Player of the Week after going 4-0 with a 1.15 earned run average last week, including victories over No. 22 Oklahoma State and No. 6 Oklahoma.
She struck out 28 batters in 18 1/3 innings pitched and held batters to a .143 average. Escobedo had two complete games and one shutout.
It’s …