The 2020-21 AIA girls basketball playoffs are set following an unprecedented season. Team AZV Interns Jacob Seliga and Andrew Morgan and Team AZV Staff Writer Eric Newman break down the 4-6A conference 16-team playoffs:

1 Hamilton vs 16 Cibola

Hamilton (16-1) opens up the postseason as the unquestioned top seed, after a stellar regular season that was highlighted by major wins against 4A No. 1 Seton Catholic and 6A No. 2 Valley Vista. The Huskies key to success has been a lockdown defense allowing only 34 points per game. Hamilton also has three players who average 1.5 steals a game or more, seniors Graciela Roybal, Amyah Reaves and Amari Burnette. Cibola (13-3) comes into the playoffs, fresh off a last-second loss to No. 5 Westwood. But for the Raiders, losses come few and far between. All three losses for the Raiders have been to playoff teams and all have been within a couple of possessions. Although they do not have a single win against a playoff team, they do boast a duo that can cause fits for opponents. Junior Myna Johnson and freshman Sierra Bomhower lead the Raiders in scoring with a 13 and 12.8 points-per-game average.

2 Valley Vista vs 15 Boulder Creek

Valley Vista (13-1) is the defending 6A champion and winners of three of the last four state tournaments. The Monsoon are led by senior McDonald’s All-American nominee and University of Washington commit Marisa Davis-Jones whose 16 points and 6.5 rebounds-per-game average leads the team. The Monsoon’s only loss on the season came at No. 1 Hamilton almost a month ago. They hope that they will have a rematch in the final but they have to focus on getting past the Jaguars first. Boulder Creek (9-7) squeezes into the playoffs after being on the bubble for most of the final weeks of the season. The Jaguars worked their way in after a ten-point win over No. 16 Cibola before dropping their final two games to district rivals No 17. Mountain Ridge and No. 9 Sandra Day O’Connor. The Jaguars may be the youngest team in the field with seven of their eleven players being underclassmen. For such a young team, this is a huge stepping stone for where they want to be in the future and the foundation is being built this season.

3 Xavier Prep vs 14 Tucson

Xavier Prep (11-3) enters the playoffs with a seven-game winning streak that includes victories over No. 8 Perry, No. 11 Pinnacle and No. 9 Sandra Day O’Connor. After starting the season with back to back losses to No. 2 Valley Vista and No. 1 Hamilton the Gators have chomped on almost every opponent who has stepped up to challenge them. Xavier has a relatively young lineup with four freshmen but balance it with four seniors. They’ve made it to the final two of the last three seasons and hope that they can get over the hump this year. Tucson (8-5) makes the trip up north to Xavier for the second time this season hoping for a different result, not a repeat of the 51 point loss at the hands of the Gators. Since that loss over a month ago, the Badgers have rattled off decent victories against 5A No. 15 Catalina Foothills and 6A No. 10 Rincon/University. Tucson has four seniors, Olivia Lara, Ahidali Dehuelbes, Molly McMahon, and Calista McLean, who hope that they can extend their season by one more game on Tuesday night.

4 Dobson vs 13 Desert Ridge

Dobson (13-2) storms into the postseason fresh off a 30-point revenge victory against rival No. 5 Westwood who handed the Mustangs their first loss of the season on Feb. 2. Dobson also has victories this season against No. 6 Mesa and No. 8 Perry. The Mustangs' key to success has been its defense. four times this season Dobson held its opponents to under 16 points, including a low of 5 against Kofa on Feb. 12. Ten of Dobson’s 13 players are upperclassmen, including five seniors. Desert Ridge (13-5) is on a four-game winning streak to start the playoffs. The Jaguars led by senior Sam Wattawa and her 15.7 points per game have stringed together good victories against No. 16 Cibola and No. 12 Desert Vista. Desert Ridge has been competitive in almost all of its games the one exception being a 20 point loss to No. 1 Hamilton. The Jaguars hope the end of the season momentum can lead them to a round one upset.

5 Westwood vs 12 Desert Vista

Westwood (15-3) started the season 14-1 with its only loss to No. 2 Valley Vista, and held a No. 1 ranking for most of the season. That was until Wednesday morning after a 9 point loss to rival No. 6 Mesa, and then a 30 point drubbing at the hands of rival No. 4 Dobson dropped the Warriors. Westwood is on the ropes entering postseason play, but is hoping that senior Mya Johnson and her 14 points per game can help lead the Warriors back momentum wise to where they were before this week. Desert Vista (12-4) starts the postseason off after winning six of its past seven games. Two of the Thunder’s victories on the season came against playoff teams, No. 15 Boulder Creek and No. 13 Desert Ridge. Both of those wins were within single digits. The Thunder are relatively young, they have seven freshmen on the roster including Eanae Dagons who leads the team in scoring with 14.4 points per game.

6 Mesa vs 11 Pinnacle

Mesa (12-4) hops into the postseason on a six-game winning streak, two of those wins coming against local rivals No. 4 Dobson and No. 5 Westwood avenging previous losses against both earlier in the season. The Jackrabbits come into the tournament battle tested having played games against 4A No. 1 Seton Catholic and 6A No. 1 Hamilton, both losses. Sophomore Ashiian Hunter leads the team in scoring with 21 points per game, the highest out of any player on any of the 6A playoff teams. Pinnacle (12-6) finished 8-2 in region play, in a normal season that is good enough for the Pioneers to finish top of region. But for the first time in recent memory Pinnacle finished second in the Desert Valley region behind No 9. Sandra Day O’Connor. The Pioneers on the season played a tougher schedule than most, with nine of it’s 18 total games against playoff teams going 4-5 in those contests. Pinnacle hopes it’s three seniors can step up and help lead the Pioneers to the round one upset.

7 Highland vs 10 Rincon/University

Highland (14-1) flies into the seventh spot hoping to make some noise this postseason. The Hawks went undefeated in region play with a 10-0 record including a 4-0 total record against No. 12 Desert Vista and No. 13 Desert Ridge. Highland was one overtime period away from being undefeated with its only loss coming in the extra frame to No. 14 Tucson, 44-39. On the season the Hawks haven’t just won their games, they’ve done so convincingly. Only one of Highland’s wins on the season was within single digits, a 6 point victory against No. 21 Mountain Pointe (4-11). The Hawks are led by seven seniors and are ready to soar. Rincon/University (11-3) is the highest ranked southern Arizona team in the 6A playoffs. Playing a mostly southern Arizona schedule allowed the Rangers to be the best 6A team in Tucson which includes a victory against the No. 14 Badgers on the last night of the regular season. The Rangers only played two games with teams north of Pima county, Maricopa and Pinnacle to start the season. Both of those games were at home with the team going 1-1 in those games. Senior Madeline Greene leads the team in points with 18.8 per game and Rebounds with 7.1 per game.

8 Perry vs 9 Sandra Day O’Connor

Perry (12-5) started its season off with a loss to No. 1 Hamilton 75-53. Since then, the Pumas have been on the attack. Handing Hamilton it's only loss on the season and going on a eight game winning streak that came to a halt the last night of the regular season against Xavier Prep. The waves of emotion throughout the season for Perry has been tough to contain and the Pumas are hoping the next wave is one that’ll lift them on a state tournament run. Senior Khamil Pierre holds the keys to a deep tournament run, she’s averaging close to a double-double with 15.6 Points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Sandra Day O’Connor (12-4) went 8-1 in the Desert Valley region and captured its first region title under head coach Danny Soliman who also picked up his 100th career win March 1 against No. 30 Liberty (1-16). The Eagles played No. 1 Hamilton close in its only meeting with the Huskies this season, a 62-55 loss. O’Connor started its season off with a 61-45 upset over No. 11 Pinnacle, a team that had been a thorn in the Eagles side in recent years. Junior Jocelyn Erickson leads the Eagles with 17.5 points per game on an efficient 62 percent shooting.

No. 1 Casteel vs. No. 16 Paradise Valley

The Colts (16-0) have been the top team in 5A throughout the season, as the conference’s only undefeated team heading into the playoffs. Only two of Casteel’s victories have been within single-digit margins, and the closest was a 45-44 Feb. 23 victory at 6A Basha. The Trojans (9-6) looked like they might be on the outside of the postseason, ranked No. 17 at 8-6 heading into Friday’s game. But Paradise Valley snuck into the playoffs with a clutch 30-29 victory over Horizon on the final game of the season to get into the 16-team bracket.

No. 8 Gilbert vs. No. 9 Sunnyside

The Tigers (11-6) have reached at least the playoff semifinals in each of the past five seasons. This year, Gilbert played a tough early-season schedule, but won seven of its last nine games to secure a home game in the first round of the postseason. The Blue Devils (14-5) won the 5A Southern Region with a 6-0 record. First-year coach Justin Delgado will attempt to lead Sunnyside to a first-round playoff victory for the first time in over a decade.

No. 5 Flowing Wells vs. No. 12 Canyon View

The Caballeros (12-3) are led by senior Melinda Arguellez (16.4 ppg) and captured a 5A Sonoran Region title with an undefeated 7-0 record. Flowing Wells will attempt to win a first-round playoff game for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Jaguars (9-4) lost three games to start the season, but went on a nine-game win streak to claim the No. 12 ranking. Canyon View reached the playoffs for the first time in the team’s short history.

No. 4 Cactus Shadows vs. No. 13 Horizon

The Falcons (14-3) are undefeated (7-0) at home this season, with their three losses coming against high-seeded playoff teams on the road. Cactus Shadows won eight of its final nine games to claim the No. 4 ranking, including three double-digit victories in as many games in March. The Huskies (8-7) are a familiar opponent, as the two teams have faced off twice this season. Cactus Shadows won both, but Horizon kept the margin to just seven points in a 42-35 game on Feb. 9. Sophomore Natalie Scherzer (11.8 ppg) is Horizon’s top scorer.

No. 6 Williams Field vs. No. 11 Willow Canyon

The Black Hawks (10-5) are led by senior transfer Tatyanna Clayburne, and stormed to win seven of their first nine games this season. They went just 3-3 from there, with all their losses coming to playoff squads. But a 48-44 road victory at Gilbert on Friday secured Williams Field a home game in the first round. The Wildcats (13-1) lost just one game all season, to No. 4 Cactus Shadows. Willow Canyon won the 5A Central Region with an 8-0 record and boast a six-game win streak heading into the playoffs.

No. 3 Millennium vs. No. 14 Cienega

The back-to-back defending-champion Tigers (11-4) ride a four-game win streak into the playoffs. Millennium, led by first-year coach Kevin Thomas, won the 5A Desert West Region with a 7-1 record, and are led by GCU-commit, senior Kassidy Dixon. The Bobcats (5-7) had a rough start to the season, losing six of their first seven games to open 2021. Since then, Cienega won four of its last five, with its only loss coming to playoff-bound Sunnyside.

No. 7 Sunrise Mountain vs. No. 10 Apollo

The young Mustangs (15-3) have just one senior – guard Julie Diveney – on the varsity roster, coming off last year’s 5A title game appearance. Sunrise Mountain tied with Apollo for a region championship, going 9-1, and won each of its games in March by double-digit margins. Apollo (12-5) is led by senior post Haylee Weathersby in points (15.6), rebounds (12.7), assists (5.9) and steals (4.0) and was region co-champion with Sunrise Mountain. The pair split their two meetings this season.

No. 2 Verrado vs. No. 15 Catalina Foothills

The Vipers (15-1) ride a 14-game win streak into the playoffs, with their last seven victories coming by double-digit margins. Verrado, with no seniors in the starting lineup, lost just once this season to defending-champion Millennium, but avenged that game with a 31-28 victory in a defensive battle on Feb. 9. The Falcons (5-6) got into the 6A playoffs with a losing record, but faced one of the conference’s most difficult schedules. Sophomore Reilly Clark (21.3 ppg) is the leading scorer for Catalina Foothills, according to MaxPreps.

No. 1 Seton Catholic Prep vs. No. 16 Paradise Honors

The Sentinels (16-1) are 8-0 in the region and 13-0 against conference competition. With wins over No. 4 Mesquite, No. 9 Coconino, No. 11 ALA-QC, No. 13 Poston Butte, 6A Mesa and 5A Millennium, the Sentinels have played one of the toughest 4A schedules and have still dominated. The Sentinels lone loss is a 30-42 Mar. 2 matchup against 6A Hamilton, the No. 1 team in the 6A bracket. The Panthers (11-6) finished the year 7-3 in region play with a quality win over 6A Sunnyslope. The Panthers suffered two losses to No. 8 Estrella Foothills, a loss to No. 6 Flagstaff, and an overtime loss to Buckeye Union.

No. 8 Estrella Foothills vs. No. 9 Coconino

The Wolves (13-2) are 10-0 in region play and hold a pair of quality wins over No. 16 Paradise Honors. Opening the season 11-0, Estrella Foothills went 3-2 to close out the season, losing to No. 4 Mesquite and No. 11 ALA-QC. The Coconino Panthers (11-3) are 7-2 in region play, but haven’t secured a win against a playoff team. With losses to No. 1 Seton Catholic Prep and No. 6 Flagstaff, the Panthers are 5-2 on the road.

No. 5 Notre Dame Prep vs. No. 12 Combs

The Saints (15-2) are 9-1 in region play with quality wins over No. 7 Deer Valley, No. 11 ALA-QC and No. 15 Desert Edge. Losing 38-48 to No.1 Seton Catholic Prep and splitting the region series with No. 7 Deer Valley, the Saints are 7-1 at home. The Coyotes (13-3) are 7-1 in region play and 10-3 against 4A competition. Splitting the region series with No. 13 Poston Butte, the Coyotes are 7-1 on the road with their only losses to playoff teams: No. 4 Mesquite, No. 10 Pueblo Magnet and No. 13 Poston Butte.

No. 4 Mesquite vs. No. 13 Poston Butte

The Wildcats (13-4) are 6-2 in region play and 12-3 against 4A competition. Playing a tough schedule, the Wildcats only losses come to playoff teams in the form of No. 1 Seton Catholic Prep, No. 2 Salpointe Catholic and 6A Valley Vista. The matchup against No. 13 Poston Butte will be a rematch of the Feb. 4 meeting between the two teams, in which the Wildcats came out with a 67-36 win. The Broncos (13-5) finished the regular season with a 7-1 region record, but have a lone win against a playoff team in a Mar. 5 47-42 win over No. 12 Combs.

No. 3 Sahuaro vs. No. 14 Thunderbird

The Cougars (15-1) are 5-1 in region play and have put up dominating score lines, even holding Canyon del Oro to single digits. With quality wins over No. 2 Salpointe Catholic, No. 10 Pueblo Magnet and No. 13 Poston Butte, the Cougars have only allowed two games to come within 10 points on the season. The Cougards opened the year with 14 straight wins before losing to No. 2 Salpointe Catholic on Mar. 4. The Chiefs (13-4) are 8-1 in region play but have yet to defeat a playoff team. The Chiefs’ losses include No. 5 Notre Dame Prep, No. 9 Coconino, No. 11 ALA-AC and St. Mary’s.

No. 6 Flagstaff vs. No. 11 ALA-QC

The Eagles (16-2) went undefeated in region play (11-0) on the way to quality wins over No. 9 Coconino and No. 16 Paradise Honors. The Eagles two losses have come against No. 7 Deer Valley and 3A Holbrook. The matchup between No. 11 ALA-QC will be a rematch of the Feb. 19 meeting in which the Eagles won 63-46. The Patriots (7-8) went 3-5 in region play and held a quality win over No. 8 Estrella Foothills, the only playoff team that they have beaten. In a very tough region, the Patriots have only lost to one non-playoff team: Saguaro. With losses against No. 1 Seton Catholic Prep, No. 2 Salpointe Catholic, No. 4 Mesquite and No. 5 Notre Dame Prep, the Patriots have had one of the toughest schedules in the conference.

No. 7 Deer Valley vs. No. 10 Pueblo Magnet

The Skyhawks (14-2) finished the regular season with a 8-2 region record and quality wins over No. 5 Notre Dame Prep, No. 6 Flagstaff and No. 15 Desert Edge. The Skyhawks only two losses have come against region opponents, splitting both series against the Saints and the Scorpions. The Warriors (9-5) went 1-4 in the region losing to just one non-playoff team in the regular season. With a win against No. 12 Combs, the Warriors have proven that although they have a tough schedule, they can compete with some of the best.

No. 2 Salpointe Catholic vs. No. 15 Desert Edge

The Lancers (15-1) went 4-1 in their region and 6-1 against 4A competition. With wins over No. 3 Sahuaro, No.4 Mesquite, No. 10 Pueblo Magnet, No. 11 ALA-QC and a number of southern AZ out-of-conference schools, the Lancers are 7-0 at home. The Lancers’ lone loss came against No. 3 Sahuaro in a region series on Feb. 23, losing 55-65. The Scorpions (10-7) finished 7-3 in region play and defeated No. 7 Deer Valley among others. As yet another team playing a tough schedule, region losses to No. 5 Notre Dame Prep and a freedom game loss to No. 16 Paradise Honors helped the Scorpions case for the playoffs.