While the forecast in Scottsdale called for light rain Thursday night, a different storm was brewing at Cactus Shadows High School.

In a season finale regional matchup, Myles Godfrey’s outstanding performance helped the Cactus Shadow Falcons (16-3 overall, 9-2 region) edge out a 58-55 nail-biter victory versus the Saguaro Sabercats (12-6, 5-5).

The Falcons were flying high, entering as the fifth-ranked team in the 4A Conference with a solidified spot in the Open Division state championship tournament, their first time securing a berth in school history. 

The Sabercats, on the other hand, were on the outside looking in, sitting one spot outside the final 32-seed following their 81-41 loss to St. Mary’s on Tuesday.

For Saguaro, revenge was in order after falling to the Falcons 63-54 in January, a loss that concluded a 2-5 stretch from Dec. 13 to Jan. 10. 

From that point on, the Sabercats rediscovered their fire, winning four straight and pushing their record to 16-8, their best record since 2016.

Ahead of the heavily contested matchup, Cactus Shadows hosted their senior night and honored Eric Ruben, Dane Milinovich and the school’s all-time scoring leader, Trey Chemin, for their time with the program.

Cactus Shadows coach Zach Washut was proud of how the seniors led their team to their first Open Division bid.

“I’m so grateful for these seniors on senior night to get that win,” Washut said. “I’m just a proud coach and I love these guys.” 

The Falcons came out of the first half up 34-30, with both teams going back-and-forth with each other on both offense and defense.

When the second half began, drama began to unfold on the hardwood.

Cactus Shadows produced a heavy blow in the third period, outscoring Saguaro 18-9 and increasing the lead to 12. 

But in complete turnaround fashion, the Sabercats returned the blow in the fourth period, eliminating the deficit to tie the game with two minutes remaining. 

The Falcons emptied the tank in the final minute, delivering the final punch with a drive into the paint to score their 58th and final point. 

In the last six seconds, Saguaro’s freshman guard Nas Hailey went up for the game-tying three pointer, ultimately banging off the rim and sealing Saguaro’s fate.

While the seniors received most of the recognition for the evening, Godfrey led the charge offensively with 17 points and a perfect 3-3 on free throws. 

In the wake of Saguaro’s loss, Hailey produced well offensively by supplying his sixth 20-plus point game.

In tandem with Hailey, junior guard Justice Hinds put up 18 points of his own, nearly matching his season-high total (20). 

For Hinds, brotherhood was the motivation that helped him and his team get in the right mindset to compete. 

“I felt like I needed my revenge,” Hinds said. “But we came and played hard. Wasn’t the result we expected, but we played hard and I'm proud of my brothers.”

For Cactus Shadows, uncharted territory is on the ledger next week, something that assistant coach Jeff Horst looks to help prepare his players for. 

“I think the playoffs are always a different type of atmosphere,” Horst said. “But if we do are jobs right as coaches to get them prepared for what they’re gonna see, then that can take care of and mitigate some of those nerves.”