The titanic battle that seemed destined  between No 1 Yuma Catholic and No. 2 Phoenix Counttry Day never materialized.

The top-seeded Shamrocks scored the first 11 points aof the game and wavered only slightly in the second half on the way to a 77-61 victory over the Eagles in the Division IV championship game at Prescott Valley Event Center.

Yuma Catholic senior guard Brandon Hunter closed out his career with a huge offensive game netting 30 points. HIs persistence in driving to the basket or filling the lane in transition let to a truck load of layups. A small double-digit lead in the first quarter surged to 20 (42-21) at halftime. Yuma Catholic finished the season 31-1 with its lone loss back in December to D-II Copper Canyon. Phoenix Country Day, bidding for its second title overall (the first was in 2012), left the floor with a 25-6 record.

Yuma Catholic's quick getaway was hastened by its rebounding and fast break plus the size advantage defensively that led to seven or eight blocked shots in the opening half. PCD ended up shooting a lot of threes and eventually backed away from taking the ball to the basket when met by 6-foot-5 Daniel Callender, 6-5 Kareem Johnson or 6-3 Julian Jones. PCD had heighth inside, but it didnt stop the Shamrocks from penetrating the lane often.

Hunter's first half was his best as he connected on 8 of 11 shots and a couple free throws. Jones was the complement offensively for YC. He scored 16 points, including three 3s.

PCD didn't pack it in after intermission. They got to more loose balls than they did the first half and managed to cut the lead to 14 on a couple occasions. Their best run of the half came in the opening two minutes of the fourth period when the pulled within 60-49 at the 5:55 mark. When Jones answered the run with a three after a possession that could have cut the lead to under 10, the Eagles had a deflated look in their eyes.

PCD senior guard closed out his career in fine fashion. After a tough first quarter, he gradually settled in and ended up with a game-high 33 points -- 24 in the second half. Reserve Jordan Wong added 10 points off the bench for the Eagles.