(Deer Valley/Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

DEER VALLEY BOYS TO 4A FINAL

No. 2 Deer Valley beat No. 11 Catalina Foothills 52-45 Friday afternoon at Grand Canyon University to advance to the 4A state championship game against No. 1 Shadow Mountain (25-3). Deer Valley (23-4) was the 5A runner-up last year and the shift down to the 4A level came with similar rewards for the Skyhawks but the path proved difficult with the Falcons blocking the way.

Catalina Foothills (22-7) came into the semifinals on an incredible 10-game run that included a huge win over 4A power, and region foe, No. 4 Salpointe (27-3), but experience may have been the difference on Friday.

“We have 11 seniors that made it to the state championship game last year,” said Deer Valley head coach Jed Dunn. “We have depth at every position as well.”

Johny Diaz 12 points to help lead Deer Valley past Catalina Foothills #AZPreps365 pic.twitter.com/mKcct79thC

— Andy Morales (@AZPreps365Andy) February 23, 2019

It was that depth that withstood two comebacks by the Falcons and it was the experience that kept the Falcons at bay in the final moments.

The Skyhawks built a 12-2 lead over the Falcons but Hayden Moser scored 10 of his game-high 16 points to bring the game to a 19-19 tie at the half. The Skyhawks opened up a 29-21 lead with 5:38 in the third but that margin was slowly chipped away and Deer Valley was in a battle, up 47-45 with 1:15 left. But then came the experience.

The Falcons missed a 3-pointer seconds later that would have given the team their first lead of the game but the Skyhawks went the other way and Jaret Allen hit two free throws to make it 49-45 with 55.4 seconds left. Deer Valley went up 51-45 after a Falcon turnover and then another missed 3 led to the 52-45 final.

The Falcons were playing for the first final appearance in program history but the Skyhawks will be taking their third shot at a championship. Leading the way will be Johny Diaz (12 points), Brandon Savage (12), Allen (11) and Malcolm Jackson (8). Moser scored his 16 points to lead the Falcons and Carson James added 14.

(Catalina Foothills/Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

SHADOW MOUNTIAN GIRLS ADVANCE

Shadow Mountain (27-3) took the top seed on the girl’s side of the 4A Conference all the way the championship game thanks to a 79-55 win over No. 4 Sahuaro (26-4). The Matadors captured a state championship in 2010 and followed that up with a runner-up finish the next year while the Cougars have two titles to their name, but the program hasn’t been to the final since 2001.

The Matadors have put together 13 wins in a row and the program has four players averaging double figures this year with junior Senya Rabouin leading the field with 18 points an outing. The junior scored 23 points in the win over the Cougars, Zhane Jordan added 27, Dyamon Butler-Worley scored 15 and Heavenly Greer ended with 10.

Senya Rabouintalks leading Shadow Mountain to the 4A championship game #AZPreps365 pic.twitter.com/arOOrX4yG0

— Andy Morales (@AZPreps365Andy) February 23, 2019

The game started out back-and-forth but the Matadors went on a 14-0 run to open up a 25-11 lead over the Cougars and then went into the half up 39-21 and never looked back.

Alyssa Brown led all scorers with 34 and Lucky Franke added 15 for the Cougars. Brown is only a sophomore and she already has over 1,000 career points.

“We are more mature this year and we are in our system,” Shadow Mountain head coach Erica Matthews said. “They are putting it all together at both ends because, for us, our offense is fueled by our defense.”

(Sahuaro/Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

SHADOW MOUNTAIN ADVANCES TO BOYS 4A CHAMPIONSHP

There was no massive 32-11 run needed this year to get past the Lancers, but No. 1 Shadow Mountain still managed to pull away to defeat No. 4 Salpointe 77-70 in the final game at GCU Friday night to advance to the 4A state championship game.

The Matadors have championships from 1996, 2000, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018, with the last two coming against Salpointe. Mike Bibby’s squad handled the Lancers with little resistance in an 81-48 victory in 2017 but 2018 proved a bit more difficult. Salpointe took a 68-51 lead heading to the fourth but Shadow Mountain went on that 32-11 run for the win. Jalen House scored 15 of his game-high 30 points in that stretch and Salpointe standout Luc Rosenblatt poured in 24 points in the game, including 6-of-8 from deep.

Jaelen House scored a game-high 29 points to help defeat Salpointe #AZPreps365 pic.twitter.com/jbD2NYj0vU

— Andy Morales (@AZPreps365Andy) February 23, 2019

This year, Rosenblatt went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points but Shadow Mountain countered with several big shots in the fourth to build a 68-56 lead with 4:50 left in the game. Still, the Lancers kept coming.

The Lancers cut the lead down to 73-70 with 1:05 left but aggressive defense on Rosenblatt turned the senior back twice and the Matadors went on for the 77-70 win. House finished with 29, Jovan Blacksher had 24, Jalen Williams scored 10 and Shemar Morrow scored eight to lead Shadow Mountain. Evan Nelson scored 19 to lead Salpointe, Rosenblatt scored his 17, Majok Deng scored 10, Jake Cioe added nine and Grant Weitman finished with eight.

Shadow Mountain beat Deer Valley 75-52 in January.

(Salpointe/Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)