Out of the three major conference brackets, the 4A conference has the potential to be the most predictable. The top two seeds No. 1 Salpointe Catholic and No. 2 St Mary’s to many fans and members of the media are on a collision course to meet in the 4A championship Monday, February 28th.
But that doesn’t mean the rest of the bracket doesn’t have a chance to make noise. Region rivals No. 3 Peoria, No. 4 Deer Valley, and No. 5 Notre Dame Prep all have the talent to pull off an upset of the higher seeds with their combinations of strong starting fives and individual stars (in order: Andrew Camacho, Semajay James, Anthony Batson Jr).
No. 6 Mesquite has the most prolific scorer in the big three conferences with Nate Calmese who averages 31.3 points per game.
No. 7 Paradise Honors only graduated five players from last season’s championship game appearance and brought back plenty of talent including last year’s leading scorer Blessing Nwottie who went over 1000 career points earlier this season.
No. 8 Cactus has one of the best big men in the state with young Bradey Henige who can impact the game on both ends of the court.
Overall the top half of the 4A conference proves why all season the 4A conference has been viewed as a “top heavy” conference and I predict that trend to continue in the postseason. Lower seeds like #11 Prescott and #12 Dysart have individual players who can keep them in games such as Jason Parent for the Badgers and Darius Anderson for the Demons but don’t have the depth nor the talent to carry them past the first round, as is the case for each team seeded 9-16 in the bracket.
Sweet 16:
#1 Salpointe Catholic vs #16 Rio Rico
(Salpointe Catholic Win)
#8 Cactus vs #9 Sahuaro
(Cactus Win)
#5 Notre Dame Prep vs #12 Dysart
(Notre Dame Prep Win)
#4 Deer Valley vs #13 Flagstaff
(Deer Valley Win)
#3 Peoria vs #14 ALA-Queen Creek
(Peoria Win)
#6 Mesquite vs #11 Prescott
(Mesquite Win
#7 Paradise Honors vs #10 Coconino
(Paradise Honors Win)
#2 St Mary’s vs #15 Pueblo
(St Mary’s Win)
Elite 8:
#1 Salpointe Catholic vs #8 Cactus
(Salpointe Catholic Win)
#4 Deer Valley vs #5 Notre Dame Prep
(Deer Valley Win)
#3 Peoria vs #6 Mesquite
(Peoria Win)
#2 St Mary’s vs #7 Paradise Honors
(St Mary’s Win)
Final 4:
#1 Salpointe Catholic vs #4 Deer Valley
(Salpointe Catholic Win)
#2 St Mary’s vs #3 Peoria
(St Mary’s Win)
Championship Game:
#1 Salpointe Catholic vs #2 St Mary’s
4A Champion: St Mary’s
St Mary’s has a legitimate argument to be the best team in the state and I believe a run to another 4A state title will prove why. The main reason I believe this is because of Sophomore point guard Styles Phipps. When people mention St Mary’s basketball most in the media instantly talk about Jeremiah Cherry and Garrison Phelps, two players who helped the Knights win the title last year. But Phipps has progressed immensely throughout the season and has the potential to be one of the best if not the best player on the west coast by the time he graduates. Phipps has already picked up an offer this season from Auburn and is currently receiving looks from some of the top schools in the Pac-12. Phipps on the season is averaging 24 points and 9 assists per contest and will receive national attention during the off-season and Summer during events such as Section-7 if not during the state tournament.
But that doesn’t mean the rest of the bracket doesn’t have a chance to make noise. Region rivals No. 3 Peoria, No. 4 Deer Valley, and No. 5 Notre Dame Prep all have the talent to pull off an upset of the higher seeds with their combinations of strong starting fives and individual stars (in order: Andrew Camacho, Semajay James, Anthony Batson Jr).
No. 6 Mesquite has the most prolific scorer in the big three conferences with Nate Calmese who averages 31.3 points per game.
No. 7 Paradise Honors only graduated five players from last season’s championship game appearance and brought back plenty of talent including last year’s leading scorer Blessing Nwottie who went over 1000 career points earlier this season.
No. 8 Cactus has one of the best big men in the state with young Bradey Henige who can impact the game on both ends of the court.
Overall the top half of the 4A conference proves why all season the 4A conference has been viewed as a “top heavy” conference and I predict that trend to continue in the postseason. Lower seeds like #11 Prescott and #12 Dysart have individual players who can keep them in games such as Jason Parent for the Badgers and Darius Anderson for the Demons but don’t have the depth nor the talent to carry them past the first round, as is the case for each team seeded 9-16 in the bracket.
Sweet 16:
#1 Salpointe Catholic vs #16 Rio Rico
(Salpointe Catholic Win)
#8 Cactus vs #9 Sahuaro
(Cactus Win)
#5 Notre Dame Prep vs #12 Dysart
(Notre Dame Prep Win)
#4 Deer Valley vs #13 Flagstaff
(Deer Valley Win)
#3 Peoria vs #14 ALA-Queen Creek
(Peoria Win)
#6 Mesquite vs #11 Prescott
(Mesquite Win
#7 Paradise Honors vs #10 Coconino
(Paradise Honors Win)
#2 St Mary’s vs #15 Pueblo
(St Mary’s Win)
Elite 8:
#1 Salpointe Catholic vs #8 Cactus
(Salpointe Catholic Win)
#4 Deer Valley vs #5 Notre Dame Prep
(Deer Valley Win)
#3 Peoria vs #6 Mesquite
(Peoria Win)
#2 St Mary’s vs #7 Paradise Honors
(St Mary’s Win)
Final 4:
#1 Salpointe Catholic vs #4 Deer Valley
(Salpointe Catholic Win)
#2 St Mary’s vs #3 Peoria
(St Mary’s Win)
Championship Game:
#1 Salpointe Catholic vs #2 St Mary’s
4A Champion: St Mary’s
St Mary’s has a legitimate argument to be the best team in the state and I believe a run to another 4A state title will prove why. The main reason I believe this is because of Sophomore point guard Styles Phipps. When people mention St Mary’s basketball most in the media instantly talk about Jeremiah Cherry and Garrison Phelps, two players who helped the Knights win the title last year. But Phipps has progressed immensely throughout the season and has the potential to be one of the best if not the best player on the west coast by the time he graduates. Phipps has already picked up an offer this season from Auburn and is currently receiving looks from some of the top schools in the Pac-12. Phipps on the season is averaging 24 points and 9 assists per contest and will receive national attention during the off-season and Summer during events such as Section-7 if not during the state tournament.
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