PRESCOTT VALLEY — Mason Hunt scored 23 points on four 3-pointers, Ben Wilder added 16, but Bradshaw Mountain surrendered a 28-22 run by the Knights over the final 12 minutes in a 60-56 loss Wednesday night.

The Bears (22-4, 11-1 4A Grand Canyon) had won 12 of their last 13 contests coming into the first round of the inaugural Open State Championship basketball tournament, and will now head back to the 4A state playoffs and be re-seeded accordingly.

“I thought we competed hard defensively, and we needed to. We got a few stops in the end, and I thought we rebounded the ball well,” St. Mary’s head coach Damin Lopez said, adding that the Open playoffs are going to be difficult every night.

“When you’re playing the top 32 teams, every round is going to be a fight. You just must find a way to survive and advance. We were fortunate to do that tonight.”

The Bears jumped out to an 11-1 lead to begin the game, but point guard Styles Phipps scored 13 of his 21 points in the second quarter to put St. Mary’s ahead 28-23 at halftime.

“We came out pretty slow, 11-1, but I got my teammates involved and they made shots down the road. Then second quarter, it was about time I score, I got it going and we got the lead back,” Phipps said.

Styles Phipps (1) heads to the basket as Amari Lawrence (23) guards him in the first round of the Open State Championship tournament Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Prescott Valley. St. Mary’s won 60-56. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365.com)

Bradshaw Mountain opened the third quarter with a 11-4 run capped by a Dante Landis 3-pointer at the 3:55 mark to take a 34-32 lead.

But St. Mary’s quickly retook the lead and scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a 7 of 12 mark from the free-throw line down the stretch to seal the deal.

“I’m very proud of the kids. They battled. They were tough. Honestly, I think it was one of our better games of the season,” first-year Bradshaw Mountain head coach Cain Atkinson said. “Hats off to St. Mary’s, they do a heck of a job there. They have a great program. I think now we know we can compete with the best teams in the state, and I think now it gives us that confidence.”

Dante Landis (14) goes up strong to the basket in the first round of the Open State Championship tournament Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Prescott Valley. St. Mary’s won 60-56. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365.com)The Knights (15-12, 9-1 4A Desert Sky) were 14 of 21 from the charity stripe on the game, while Bradshaw Mountain was just 5 of 7.

Caspian Jones, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward for St. Mary’s, scored 17 points while Seydou Tamboura, another 6-foot-7 forward, scored 11 of his 13 in the fourth quarter to help put the Bears away.

UP NEXT

No. 18-seeded St. Mary’s will travel to No. 2-seeded ALA-Gilbert North, which beat No. 31 Gilbert 62-55 in their opening game.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Bradshaw Mountain now awaits to see the results of the 4A state play-in round, which takes places Friday. Once eight teams advance from those games, the Bears will be re-seeded into the playoff bracket. It should be a favorable placement for the club from Prescott Valley as they were ranked No. 3 in the state (4A) prior to the Open tournament.

Watch the live bracket show at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, on azpreps365.com.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.