Last week was the week of the upsets in the 3A as many of our top teams came up short against their opponents. Their seems to be a lot of separation from #1 and all the others in the conference. The 3A is Valley Christians to lose. There was not a ton of movement in the 2A but Pima makes their appearance in the 2A top
10 and will more than likely remain there the rest of the season. There were some great matchups in the 1A as well this week, as we had our #1 (TGS) go up against our #2 (Babo). Let’s look at some big time matchups in this last week that impacted our rankings.
San Tan Charter V Gilbert Christian
San tan Charter goes on the road and gets the best of Gilbert Christian for the 2nd year in a row. This roadrunners squad is proving to be much more than just a fast paced, athletic team. This team can attack and win in many different ways. The story of this game was transition. You will be hard pressed to find a team in the state that can get up and down like San Tan charter can for four quarters. The brightside for Gilbert Christian? It is December, and Jace Olson had a breakout game which led to a great rest of the season for him and the knights! Gilbert Christian wins 97-72.
Rancho V NVCA
Coach Trigg has ALWAYS had very disciplined, high achieving teams, and this squad is no different. They were able to hold off NVCA at home and get the 62-51 win. Rancho is led by Sagith Vargas, and standout guard Jake Miller. They hold down the backcourt really well, and lead this team the right way. But with Rancho it always starts with their defense. The Lions struggled to settle in and find a comfortable offensive flow. NVCA is still short handed but the supporting cast around Bobby Rodriguez is only improving. When they get 6’7 Cameron Rice back they will be a force in the 1A.
TGS v Babo
This matchup between #1 and #2 did not disappoint! The Gregory School grabs a huge win early in the season at home, against a TOUGH Babo squad 64-63. Despite the size differential, Babo was able to go head to head with this squad. The warriors style of play, and mentality, will give them a chance to beat ANY team in the 1A. The Gregory school is off to an 8-0 start and is headed to the Aztec Holiday Classic to play against some bigger schools.
Northwest Christian V Yuma Catholic
Northwest usually takes a few weeks to be in prime form. Not this year though. They went on the road and grabbed a 49-43 win over the Shamrocks. Let me remind you that it is december! Coach Cooks teams always improve throughout the year, so this team will be a scary opponent come Feb. They have size inside and at the guard position, and they also have a toughness that few teams can match. They play Benjamin Franklin at home Dec 13.
Valley Christian against the world
The Trojans are off to an amazing start to their season. They, by far, have the best resume of any team in the small ball. They have been dominant against not only some of the best teams in AZ, but also against the #3 team in Colorado. They beat a very good Arizona Lutheran Squad 89-36 scoring 74 points at the end of the 3rd quarter. Luke Shaw also had 30 in the 1st half in their win over ACP. Just look at these stats from this week in the Pepsi tournament!
Luke Shaw 89 points in four games.
Austin Wallace 61 points in four games.
Kyle Grier 50 points in four games.
Valley Christian will go on the road and play St. Francis and Otay Ranch this weekend. St. Francis has a projected top 10 guard in the country (Mazi Mosely 6’5). These will be great tests for Valley Christian as they look to win their third championship in a row.
1A Rankings
- TGS
- Desert Christian
- Baboquivari
- Basis Flagstaff
- NVCA
- El Cap
- Ray
- Hayden
- Joseph City
- Mogollon
Joseph City is not a team to take lightly. We got to see them in action and they are a team that can really go. Their extended zone will give teams fits, along with their shooting from deep. I really like the beginning of their season and how their kids are playing. Hayden continues to improve as they get back into basketball shape and they hope to be peaking towards the end of the season. The Yetis move into the top 4 with NVCA’s loss at rancho, and Desert moves into the #2 spot with Babo’s loss on the road as well. Desert will travel to Babo this Tuesday and face a great road test! Mogollon cracks the top 10. Despite coming up short at the round valley tournament, they bested Williams 62-49 who was competing at a really high level.
2A Rankings
- San Tan Charter
- Highland prep
- Rancho
- Arizona Lutheran
- Phoenix Christian
- Leading Edge
- Glendale Prep
- Hopi
- Pima
- Heritage
Leading Edge gets a massive win against Baboquivari 83-71. They move up in the rankings for that. Hopi has yet to lose, they are running through teams in the North and are looking to be a force in the 2A. The biggest let down of the week in the 2A was the post poning of Highland Prep v Phoenix Christian. We will have to wait and see this matchup sometime in the future. Thanks a lot Presley Ibeh.
3A Rankings
- Valley Christian
- ALA Ironwood
- Palo Verde
- Northwest
- Coolidge
- Gilbert Christian
- Yuma Catholic
- Holbrook
- Winslow
- SCA
ALA Ironwood has wins over SCA, Northwest, and Fountain hills on the road. They are off to a great start to their season and avenging some losses from last year. Northwest climbs into the top 5 after their huge road win over Yuma Catholic. Holbrook moves into the top 10 after their awesome showing at the round valley tournament. Tapaha took the tournament MVP as Holbrook won the whole tournament.
