4A Championship: Sahuaro/Deer Valley
In this article:
On February 29th at the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, the Sahuaro Cougars took on the Deer Valley Skyhawks for the Boys 4A Championship. Sahuaro found a rhythm in the opening quarter as they continuously hit corner threes. At the end of…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingOn February 29th at the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, the Sahuaro Cougars took on the Deer Valley Skyhawks for the Boys 4A Championship. Sahuaro found a rhythm in the opening quarter as they continuously hit corner threes. At the end of one, it was 22-19 in favor of Sahuaro. The first half was a back-and-forth match as the Skyhawks held a slim 35-33 lead at halftime after ending the quarter on a 10-0 run.
At the end of the 3rd quarter, Deer Valley continued to lead the Cougars 48-45. In the 4th quarter, just when it seemed the Skyhawks were going to win, The Cougars forced the game into OT with a basket with 4 seconds remaining in regulation. In overtime, the Skyhawks were able to pull out a close one against a tough Sahuaro team 63-61. Deer Valley wins its first state title in boys’ basketball.
Here I look at some of the standouts from this championship matchup:
Travis Vasquez Travis Vasquez 6'2" | PG Deer Valley | 2024 State AZ Deer Valley
The senior didn’t shoot as well as he could, but he came up big when his team needed him. He protected the ball well the entire game, and he hit a big three in overtime to give Deer Valley some breathing room.
Tyler Wenk Deer Valley
Tyler came out of the gate hot from the perimeter. He had a big first quarter and a nice-looking jump shot extending to the three-point line. He also was the leading rebounder in the game.
Cisco Llamas
Cisco
Llamas
5'7" | PG
Sahuaro | 2026
State
AZ
Sahuaro
The shifty guard could get into the defense’s teeth and create shots for his teammates. He has excellent vision as a passer. Even though he didn’t shoot well from the field he hit a clutch 3 in regulation that helped send the game to overtime.
Nick Ponds
Nick
Ponds
6'4" | SF
Sahuaro | 2024
State
AZ
Sahuaro
Ponds is a nice wing who shot the ball efficiently for the Cougars. On defense, he got in the passing lanes and blocked some shots. Nick also rebounded very well from his position.
AJ Ajawin
AJ
Ajawin
6'7" | PF
Deer Valley | 2024
State
AZ
Deer Valley
AJ was causing major trouble with his length and ability to alter shots. It won’t show in the stats, but he altered more than a few shots. Offensively, he took high-percentage shots and attacked the paint aggressively.
Jamal Ali
Jamal
Ali
6'7" | PF
Sahuaro | 2025
State
AZ
Sahuaro
The junior forward played a solid all-around game. He took shots within the flow of the offense and didn’t force the action. He attacked the offensive glass aggressively, accounting for almost half of his team’s offensive rebounds.