- Sabino walked away on its Senior Night with a 56-52 win over a visiting Pusch Ridge Christian to end any postseason hope for the Lions. It was the eighth consecutive win for the Sabino, who came into the contest ranked No. 15 in the AIA's 3A rankings. Pusch Ridge was No. 26.
- The game was back-and-forth, with each team making mental mistakes throughout the contest. Sabino played pressing and trapping defenses all game, forcing turnovers and pushing the pace. After the first quarter, the Lions lead the Sabercats 12-11, but lost all momentum in the second quarter as Sabino outscored Pusch Ridge 18-3, making it a 29-15 game at halftime. Pusch Ridge committed 11 turnovers in the first half compared to Sabino's five. After the third quarter, Sabino led 38-33. Late in the game with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter and a three-point Sabino lead, Pusch Ridge junior guard Ben Katsel was fouled on a layup attempt. The ball bounced off the rim, and never once rimmed out or anything of that nature. The refs proceeded to call an and-one, sending Katsel to the free-throw line to shoot one shot. Katsel missed the free-throw. During the sequence, one referee, who was a few steps past the half-court line, called the foul as the other referee, under the rim and better suited to make a call on the play, stopped watching the play/ball. He was looking toward the ref who blew his whistle, who was facing the score keepers. The point is, neither referee saw the ball fall in, but proceeded to decide it was a made basket. The refs told the Sabino coaches they didn't see the ball as Katsel was already shooting. It was a mess and made the game a one-point game.
- Sabino (15-11) played with some inconsistency due to players not sticking to the game plan or play call, combined with playing three sophomores as the main guards who handle the ball. Nevertheless, they staved off a desperate Pusch Ridge team, who was playing for its playoff life's, for the squad's eighth straight win.
- Sabino senior guard/forward Travis Walker dropped a game-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, to go with five rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists. Walker opened up the fourth quarter with a three-pointer and a steal sealed with a fast break dunk. Walker converted 9-10 free-throws as well. Walker is looking for a Division II or low D-I school to take him. His grades and test scores make him eligible for every school, and would not be challenged academically at a JUCO. There is a possibility Walker may play March and April with the Prodigy, a AAU club based out of the Bay Area in California in hopes of playing in front of the many small university scouts in California, but he'll more than likely stick with the Tucson Spartans and Marvin Beckwith. It'll be hard to find a player as hungry, with as little exposure as Walker to latch on with a college for the next two months.
- Sabino junior defensive-minded guard Daniel Joseph finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals. Joseph is the team's best perimeter and has developed a three-point shot from the corners since the past summer. Joseph is a long, athletic guard who disrupts opponents offenses.
- Pusch Ridge junior Ben Katsel finished 5-of-15 shooting for 13 points. Katsel needs to get stronger in order to finish consistently with contact or in traffic and tighten his handle, but his fills the role of scorer. If he gains some confidence over the summer and continues to work he'll be an easy fit for any Division III school.
- Sophomore Lucas Elliot looks to have improved since the summer. Elliot hustles, rebounds the ball and plays solid defense around the rim, but needs to foul less in order to become an overall good defender. Elliot caught and dunked the ball after cutting toward the basket on an inbounds play under the basket. The Pusch Ridge staff said he's playing much better, but needs to play with some more consistency and be able to play on the court for longer stretches of time.
- The game was back-and-forth, with each team making mental mistakes throughout the contest. Sabino played pressing and trapping defenses all game, forcing turnovers and pushing the pace. After the first quarter, the Lions lead the Sabercats 12-11, but lost all momentum in the second quarter as Sabino outscored Pusch Ridge 18-3, making it a 29-15 game at halftime. Pusch Ridge committed 11 turnovers in the first half compared to Sabino's five. After the third quarter, Sabino led 38-33. Late in the game with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter and a three-point Sabino lead, Pusch Ridge junior guard Ben Katsel was fouled on a layup attempt. The ball bounced off the rim, and never once rimmed out or anything of that nature. The refs proceeded to call an and-one, sending Katsel to the free-throw line to shoot one shot. Katsel missed the free-throw. During the sequence, one referee, who was a few steps past the half-court line, called the foul as the other referee, under the rim and better suited to make a call on the play, stopped watching the play/ball. He was looking toward the ref who blew his whistle, who was facing the score keepers. The point is, neither referee saw the ball fall in, but proceeded to decide it was a made basket. The refs told the Sabino coaches they didn't see the ball as Katsel was already shooting. It was a mess and made the game a one-point game.
- Sabino (15-11) played with some inconsistency due to players not sticking to the game plan or play call, combined with playing three sophomores as the main guards who handle the ball. Nevertheless, they staved off a desperate Pusch Ridge team, who was playing for its playoff life's, for the squad's eighth straight win.
- Sabino senior guard/forward Travis Walker dropped a game-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, to go with five rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists. Walker opened up the fourth quarter with a three-pointer and a steal sealed with a fast break dunk. Walker converted 9-10 free-throws as well. Walker is looking for a Division II or low D-I school to take him. His grades and test scores make him eligible for every school, and would not be challenged academically at a JUCO. There is a possibility Walker may play March and April with the Prodigy, a AAU club based out of the Bay Area in California in hopes of playing in front of the many small university scouts in California, but he'll more than likely stick with the Tucson Spartans and Marvin Beckwith. It'll be hard to find a player as hungry, with as little exposure as Walker to latch on with a college for the next two months.
- Sabino junior defensive-minded guard Daniel Joseph finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals. Joseph is the team's best perimeter and has developed a three-point shot from the corners since the past summer. Joseph is a long, athletic guard who disrupts opponents offenses.
- Pusch Ridge junior Ben Katsel finished 5-of-15 shooting for 13 points. Katsel needs to get stronger in order to finish consistently with contact or in traffic and tighten his handle, but his fills the role of scorer. If he gains some confidence over the summer and continues to work he'll be an easy fit for any Division III school.
- Sophomore Lucas Elliot looks to have improved since the summer. Elliot hustles, rebounds the ball and plays solid defense around the rim, but needs to foul less in order to become an overall good defender. Elliot caught and dunked the ball after cutting toward the basket on an inbounds play under the basket. The Pusch Ridge staff said he's playing much better, but needs to play with some more consistency and be able to play on the court for longer stretches of time.
