Sahuaro beat Pueblo 67-51 to improve to 8-3 in power-ranking games and 2-2 in the 4A Kino Region. The Cougars started the night ranked No. 10 in the 4A Conference and Pueblo (9-5) hosted as the No. 16 team. All five member schools of the Kino Region are currently ranked high enough to qualify for the play-in tournament with No. 3 Salpointe (12-0) ranked high enough to advance directly to the state tournament slated to start on Tuesday, Feb. 15.

No. 9 Canyon del Oro (8-2) and No. 22 Cholla (7-6) are the other two teams from the region with a shot at the playoffs, although the Chargers are living on the edge with only teams ranked 9-24 earning a spot in the play-in tournament slated for Thursday, Feb. 10.

The Lancers can win the region with a win at home against the Dorados Wednesday night and that would mean an automatic playoff berth but the Lancers are heading that way regardless.

Sahuaro took a 21-8 lead over Pueblo in the first quarter and 35-23 at the half with Pueblo standout Marcus Coleman hitting a 70-foot three pointer at the half. The Warriors cut the lead down to 40-31 with 2:54 left in the third quarter but Cougar junior Titus Palmer scored eight of his 18 points in the next two minutes and Ryan Valdez hit a deep 3 at the buzzer to give Sahuaro a 51-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter and the 67-51 final.

Coleman led Pueblo with 23 points and Juan Amado added 12 with all 12 points coming on three-pointers late in the game. Valdez led the Cougars with 17, Palmer had his 18, David Campa had 12 and Marvin Kemp had 11. Palmer is a junior and the rest of the Sahuaro leaders are all seniors.

Sahuaro will travel to Cholla on Thursday and Pueblo will visit Canyon del Oro on the same night.