Two Arizona teams battled Saturday morning at State Farm Stadium, but only one advanced to continue its hopes of becoming a 2024 Section 7 Team Camp champ.

That team was the Notre Dame Prep Saints, as they bested the Willow Canyon Wildcats 66-60 behind a masterful performance from senior guard Bryce Quinet. The senior iced the game with a few free throws.

"To lead my team as best as I can. Just being a great leader. That's what everyone looks to me for," Quinet said.

The determined Saints jumped to an early 12-point lead, as Quinet got off to a hot start.

He connected on his first 3-point attempt and finished a couple of strong drives to the rim. Quinet scored 18 of Notre Dame's first 24 points and racked up eight rebounds in the first half as well.

Notre Dame lost graduated senior Anthony Batson Jr., who averaged 22.1 points per game last season, leaving Quinet to take on that leadership role.

"Anthony is one of my best friends," Quinet said. "Great player, but I just got to pick up from where he left off. Just continue to score, continue to pass, rebound, just do everything my team needs.”

Despite their lack of size, the Wildcats were persistent, crashing the offensive glass and putting back a few of their misses.

Junior Jaydon Hayes and senior Kaleel Kelly did just that on back-to-back possessions early in the first half. Willow Canyon played at a faster pace than the Saints and often ran the floor after forcing a turnover, taking advantage of its quicker guard play.

The Wildcats had 17 points off turnovers, compared to Notre Dame's eight.

Despite the scoring surge from Quinet, Willow Canyon held on and never found itself behind by a deficit larger than 15. Sophomore guard Levi Carter gave the Wildcats some momentum midway through the half with a fancy Eurostep, which had the defense lost and freed himself for an easy putback layup.

But Notre Dame responded, making an offensive adjustment that put Quinet at the high post. The Saints fed the ball inside to the 6-3 guard and waited for the defense to collapse before kicking back out for an open 3-pointer.

The play was successful on two consecutive possessions, giving senior Hayden Stebbins his second and third triple of the game and the Saints a 10-point cushion heading into the second half.

But Willow Canyon left its halftime huddle with a new mindset. Before even three minutes had ticked down, the Wildcats had cut the lead to just two.

Kelly, who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, scored a quick six points and topped off an 8-0 run with a slick turnaround jumper.

The "defense" chants from the Wildcat bench seemed to be working, as they began picking up Quinet full-court and increased the pressure on the ball. This new intensity resulted in a couple of turnovers from the Saints, including a steal and contested lay-in by Wildcat guard Maurice Carter II, which gave them their first lead of the game.

Again, the Saints responded with a scoring run by Quinet and senior sharpshooter Will Feagles, who finished with 16 points. Quinet finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds and four assists to help Notre Dame advance to the NFHS Amazon Bracket 9:45 p.m. Saturday semifinals, where it will play Destiny Christian.

“It’s funny,” said Brad Quinet, Bryce’s father. “When I coach him, I don’t think of him as my son. But he is a winner. He loves the game of basketball. He loves his teammates and he’ll do anything for them. So it’s great to have him on my team and to be able to coach him is a blessing.”