It was a big day in Arizona high school sports on Saturday with the boys basketball championships being played at Jobbing.com arena for 3A and 4A Divisions I and II. SB Nation has full coverage of all three games as part of our High School March Madness feature.
4A Division II Title Game
In the first game of the day, Amphitheater of Tucson defeated Tempe 87-77 to win the Class 4A Division II title.
"It was worth it. It was a long wait waiting for this day, but it was worth it," Amphitheater head coach Ben Hurley said. "The kids were excited, but I'm glad it's over and that we have the championship trophy."
The Amphitheater Panters were led by guard Tim Derksen who finished with 26 points. The 6-foot-3 junior averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists this season.
Other players in double figures for Amphitheater were Tony Lillard, a 5-foot-8 junior guard, who surprised everyone by scoring 16 points in the first half - including four three-pointers. He finished with 19 points. Senior captain Domineik Banks finished with 12 points. Charles Benson, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half.
Tempe was led by Jordan Baker, a 6-foot-3 senior who committed to Pepperdine prior to the season.
4A Division I Title Game
Next up it was the 4A Division I title game with Nogales defeating Saguaro 57-44. This is the first state title for the Southern Arizona school since 1983.
"It's unreal how excited these people are," Nogales coach Ricardo De La Riva told the Arizona Republic. "It's lifted everybody in the community. Our administrators were so supportive. Lastly, I want to thank God for keeping me here and winning a state championship."
Nogales received a strong performance from their junior guard Joseph Moreal who finished with 20 points. Moreal scored 13 of those points in the fourth quarter to lead his school to victory.
Saguaro, a Scottsdale school, entered the game with a 15-game winning streak after an 8-8 start, and was led by senior guard Jack Connors with 18 points.
3A Title Game
Holbrook defeated Fountain Hills 49-43 to win their first state championship since 1971. The rural school from Northern Arizona was down 15 with seven minutes left in the game before their full-court pressure helped fuel a 24-3 run over the much taller boys from the wealthy Phoenix suburb.
Holbrook's 6-foot-1 guard Kory Koerperich was the hero of the game as he recorded a team-high 12 points, including six from the free throw line in the final seconds to secure the win.
"No one expected us to do this," Koerperich told the Arizona Republic after the game."I knew we were going to come back."
Other Holbrook players in doubles figures were Torrian Epps with 11 points and Rashaun Baldwin with 10. Jalen Jackson, the team's leading scorer at 16.3 points per game, finished with nine.
Fountain Hills took a 40-25 lead with 6:47 left and seemed in control with its front line of 6-foot-9 Nick Baker, 6-8 Tyler bode and 6-4 Jeffrey Bonner. Holbrook's tallest starter was Jackson, who is 6-3.