State Tournament Preview and Predictions: Division-III Opening Round
The Division-III State Playoffs are here and the pairings are out. Here is a look at opening round action which will take place Tuesday, February 16. Cortez at Bradshaw Mountain – Both the Colts and the Bears have been right outside…
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Continue ReadingThe Division-III State Playoffs are here and the pairings are out. Here is a look at opening round action which will take place Tuesday, February 16.
Cortez at Bradshaw Mountain – Both the Colts and the Bears have been right outside the top five numerous times this season. When they met back in December it was Bradshaw that came away with the 3 point victory. Expect the Bears to conquer the Colts again.
Lake Havasu at Cibola – Their third match in three weeks, Cibola has beaten Lake Havasu two straight times…the first time in the regular season by 2 points and last week in the sectional final by 1. This will be a big time, highly competitive match and, while Cibola may have the win on paper, the Knights will be highly motivated as they have been so close. Still the Raiders have home court advantage and you can bet that the environment will be hostile. While it is hard to beat a team three times, we predict Cibola will do just that. This is the Division III Game of the Night.
Poston Butte at Holbrook – While Poston Butte is the lower rated team, they’ve been on a tear in recent weeks winning eight of their last nine, losing only to #1 ranked Scottsdale Christian in their section final. The Broncos enter tonight’s game with a ton of confidence. The Roadrunners are up and down but have yet to beat a top rated team in the calendar year. Expect Poston Butte’s experience against higher level competition to be in their favor.
Cactus at Dysart – The Demons and the Cobras split during the regular season, Cactus winning by 4 at their place and Dysart by 5 in the section semifinal. Expect a large crowd at Dysart High tonight and a lot of momentum going the Demons way to help carry them to victory.
Tuba City at Verrado – Tuba City has notched some big time wins this season including Pinon, Sanders Valley, and—most recently—Winslow. They also played it tight with Snowflake in the section semifinal giving them confidence. However, Verrado has had a very solid year and, while they dropped some close ones to high level competition towards the end of the year, they are better for their tough schedule. Expect the Vipers to take game one at home.
Flowing Wells at Pueblo Magnet – The Warriors are hot right now, winning their last three including a regular season game against Flowing Wells and a section title match against Casa Grande. Flowing Wells has defeated Pueblo once this season but it will be tough for them to stop their momentum.
Prescott at North Canyon – North Canyon really seemed to come together at the end of the year winning seven of their final eight during the regular season including a 1 point victory at Prescott. While the Badgers have had a solid season, expect for the Rattlers to end their season tonight with a second straight victory over them.
Cholla Magnet at Moon Valley – The Chargers are coming off a section semifinal loss to Pueblo Magnet. However, they had a huge victory over Casa Grande prior as Cholla was probably playing their best basketball of the season. The Rockets started the season off strong but took a big dive in the last third of it. A win over Cortez seemed to put them in the right direction before falling to a tough Mingus Union group in their section final. Expect Moon Valley to refocus and open up the playoffs with a victory.
-Division-III State Tournament Seeding-
- Estrella Foothills
- Snowflake
- Scottsdale Christian
- Winslow
- Mingus Union
- Window Rock
- Casa Grande
- Valley Christian
- Cibola
- North Canyon
- Pueblo Magnet
- Holbrook
- Dysart
- Verrado
- Moon Valley
- Bradshaw Mountain
- Cortez
- Cholla Magnet
- Tuba City
- Cactus
- Poston Butte
- Flowing Wells
- Prescott
- Lake Havasu