Girls Basketball


Both teams have advanced to the quarterfinals, girls on Friday and boys on Saturday.

Seton Catholic earned a chance at a 4A-II girls basketball repeat Wednesday with a strong first half predicated on balanced scoring and defense. A tough recipe to overcome. The second-seeded Sentinels amassed a 32-13 lead at halftime and were in command for the duration in posting a 61-39 victory over No. 3 seed Cactus in a semifinal game at Jobing.com Arena.

Valley Christian girls basketball is all about defense. That aspect was on display again Saturday as the Trojans bid for their second consecutive 2A championship. Plugging the middle and making every shot Thatcher took in the paint a tough one, Valley Christian made a close game a rout in the second half with a 53-35 triumph over the Eagles at Tims Toyota Center in Prescott Valley.

After watching Fort Thomas score the first six points of the third period and take the lead 23-22, Gilbert Christian decided it was not going to allow the Apaches the momentum to pull off an upset. With senior Molly Van Rijn leading a late charge in the third period, the Knights wrapped up their second 1A girls basketball title in three years with a 44-31 victory over Fort Thomas at Tim\\\\\\\'s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley.

Chandler and Mesa Mountain View have not waivered in their bid to be strong 5A-I contenders in girls basketball this season. With the teams heading to state next week as top-4 seeds neither wanted to enter the tournament with a bad taste in its mouth. One team had to Thursday night and it happened to be Chandler. Mountain View overcame a scoreless first quarter and 17-point deficit to hand Chandler a 53-52 loss at Mountain View.