Recap: Monument Valley, ALA-Ironwood, Yuma Catholic, Valley Christian make up 3A boys Final Four

February 21, 2023 by Brian M. Bergner Jr., AZPreps365


The Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley is scheduled to host the 3A state boys basketball Elite 8 on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. Watch for updates on AzPreps365.com or follow staff writer Brian M. Bergner Jr. on Twitter at @AzPreps365Brian. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is being updated throughout the day Tuesday, Feb. 21. Latest update: 8:29 p.m.

#7 ALA-IRONWOOD 73, #2 FOUNTAIN HILLS 50

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Corey Wood scored 20 of his 28 in the second half and No. 7-seeded ALA-Ironwood upset No. 2 Fountain Hills on Tuesday night 73-50, advancing to the 3A state semifinals next weekend in Phoenix.

It was the first loss of the season for the Falcons (26-1, 12-0 3A Central), which trailed 30-19 by halftime thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers by the Warriors and they never recovered.

Wood hit four 3-pointers and was a perfect 8 for 8 from the free-throw line, Jackson Edgerton hit four 3-pointers and added another bucket for 14 points and Chad Coplin scored eight of his 12 during a 19-11 third-quarter run by ALA-Ironwood (20-8, 8-4 3A South Central).

For the Falcons, Aiden Logan scored 17 points, while Keaton Ort chipped in with 14, including two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

ALA-Ironwood will now face No. 6-seeded Monument Valley on Friday, Feb. 24, in the 3A state semifinals. Monument Valley (26-3, 14-0 3A North) upset No. 3 Coolidge earlier in the day, 82-54.

#1 VALLEY CHRISTIAN 63, #9 GILBERT CHRISTIAN 43

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Luke Shaw scored 28 points on four 3-pointers and No. 1-seeded Valley Christian used a big second half run to advance to the 3A state boys basketball Final Four with a 63-43 win over Gilbert Christian on Tuesday night.

Up 26-23 at halftime, the Trojans (28-2, 11-1 3A South) outscored their opponent 37-20 in the second half to advance. Shaw dropped 16 of his 28 in the second half to lift Valley Christian to their 18th win in the last 19 games.

Austin Wallace scored 14 points and the Trojans were 14 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Max Lightfoot scored 15 points to lead Gilbert Christian (17-11, 7-5 3A South Central), which lost to this same Valley Christian club 76-60 back in early January.

The Trojans will play No. 4 Yuma Catholic on Feb. 24 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A tipoff time has yet to be announced by the AIA.

#4 YUMA CATHOLIC 49, #5 HOLBROOK 46

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Held in check for much of the afternoon, Yuma Catholic leading scorer Braden Moore came through when his team needed him most.

And boy, did he come through.

With 1.2 ticks left on the clock, the 6-foot guard hit a 30-foot 3-pointer from the left wing, sending the No. 4-seeded Shamrocks to the 3A state Final Four with a 49-46 win over Holbrook.

Tied for much of the game, No. 5 Holbrook and Yuma Catholic were deadlocked at the end of the second (22-22), third (33-33) and fourth quaters (46-46 with 13 seconds left).

Moore dribbled down the clock, went at his defender, crossed over to his left and appeared to lose the ball, only to regain posession and throw up an NBA 3 for what would prove to be the game winner.

It is the 16th straight win for the Shamrocks (26-3, 11-1 3A West), which hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to advance. Both clubs drained seven 3-pointers a piece in the 3A quarterfinal thriller.

Fernando Vasquez led Yuma Catholic with 14 points, while Moore and Sebi Patane each had 11.

Noah Brown had 12 points to lead the Roadrunners (25-5, 9-1 3A East), which hadn't lost since early January and were winners of 11 straight.

#6 MONUMENT VALLEY 82, #3 COOLIDGE 54

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Albrandon Byjoe scored 40 points on six 3-pointers, Roberto Flores chipped in with 27 and No. 6-seeded Monument Valley punched their ticket to the Final Four with an 82-54 win over Coolidge on Tuesday afternoon.

It is the 14th win in the last 15 games for the No. 6-seeded Mustangs (26-3, 14-0 3A North), which jumped out to a 25-16 first-quater lead thanks to 16 points on four 3-pointers and never looked back.

Brayden Gant led Coolidge (29-2, 10-1 3A South Central) with 22 points. Dru Madrid scored 12 points on two 3-pointers.

The No. 3-seeded Bears had lost only one contest all season coming into Tuesday's quarterfinal matchup with Monument Valley, a 53-51 loss to Benjamin Franklin on Feb. 2.

Coolidge beat Page, 60-44, in second-round action to advance to Tuesday's Elite 8 contest.

PREGAME

PRESCOTT VALLEY — The 3A state boys basketball tournament has reached its Elite 8 round. Here are today's games:

No. 6 Monument Valley vs. No. 3 Coolidge, 1 p.m.
No. 5 Holbrook vs. No. 4 Yuma Catholic, 2:30 p.m.
No. 9 Gilbert Christian vs. No. 1 Valley Christian, 4 p.m.
No. 7 ALA-Ironwood vs. No. 2 Fountain Hills, 5:30 p.m.


3A Boys State Championship Bracket Scores


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.