It's year three of the Open Division basketball playoff bracketing, and its received mostly positive reviews. One reason is the makeup and excitment of the conference tournaments, which begin tonight for the boys side (4A-6A). Last year Liberty seemingly came out of nowhere to win the 6A title as the No. 10 seed, beating No. 5 O'Connor in the championship. Only one of the top four seeds from last season got past the quarterfinals.

There are plenty of reasons to expect the unexpected again this year.

"It's wide open," insists Highland coach Todd Fazio, whose Hawks (17-10) will enjoy a first round bye tonight as the No. 1 seed. "The 6A tournament is tough. There are a lot of good teams and its a deep field."

Case in point: Highland lost to 18th-seeded Chandler back in November. The teams have since gone in opposite directions. Highland went 9-1 in the competitive Fiesta Region, and won its first round Open contest before falling to Ironwood. Now the Hawks are regrouping to win its second 6A title in three years.

Reset Mentality

A big factor in the conference tournament is mindset. For teams with Open aspirations, falling short of that goal can affect players as it moves on to respective conference tourneys. “Our guys poured everything into advancing in the Open," Fazio admits. "After our loss to Ironwood, we discussed recalibrating a little bit and getting our heads right. I think our guys will be ready to go. We’re a different team than we were in the first half of the season.”

Two years ago, Fazio led Highland to the fourth seed in the Open bracket, but lost in second round, forcing the team to regroup. The Hawks became  the No. 1 seed in 6A and went on to capture its first ever basketball championship. Can Highland pull off the same feat again? 

“We’re excited for the tournament, and it is an adjustment as far as mindset goes,” Fazio says. The Hawks are a young and talented team, led by sophomore guard Ty Crandall who averages 15 points and four rebounds a game. Fellow sophomore and guard Nick Reber isn’t far behind with 10 points a game while leading the Hawks in assists. 

No. 2 Liberty is another high seed with 10 losses, three of which came to out of state teams. The Lions would like nothing more than to repeat as 6A champions. With three players averaging double figures, Liberty  Seniors Stephen Miller (18 ppg.) and Jackson Hunter (15 ppg.) lead the way, while Jackson’s younger brother, Jacob, adds 12 points a clip and is also a top rebounder for the Lions.

Red Mountain coach Chris Lemon led the Mountain Lions to the schools' fourth 20-win season in history. But as a program, its never advanced past the quarterfinals. Is 2025 the breakthrough year? Red Mountain fell to Boulder Creek in round one of the Open and somehow ended up with the No. 10 seed. Lemon has said this is the best senior class he's had since taking over in 2018.

“It’s a highly competitive bracket, and Lemon says of the 6A. "We're a fully motivated group with a lot of seniors that don't want the journey to end. A lot of top 5A programs have moved up to 6A and its been great for our conference."

Other teams capable of making a 6A run are Higley (No. 3), West Point (4) and fifth-seeded Brophy Prep are all capable of championship runs. Red Mountain begins on the road tonight at No. 7 Hamilton

Willow Canyon leads 5A

Willow Canyon (22-4) assumes the No. 1 seed in 5A after falling to Hamilton in the Open. Along with the top seed is a first round bye, but coach Joseph Colletti is excited get back on the court. "We're thankful we earned the No. 1 seed and we're setting our sights on the 5A bracket."
The Wildcats did battle with a handful of 6A teams this season, which should bode well for a 5A run. Maurice Carter Ii is one of many superstar freshmen to lead their respective teams this season.

Carter leads Willow Canyon with 19 points per game. He also leads the team in assists and steals. Senior Kaleel Kelly averages 15 points per clip while bringing valuable experience to Carter and his freshman counterpart Jaydon Hayes (13ppg). 
No. 2 Canyon View ended Willow Canyon's season last year in the 5A quarterfinals. Neither schools has won a state title in basketball. 
 

4A: Tenette the Terrific

If anyone is going to beat No. 2. seed Prescott (20-6), they'll have to somehow control senior guard Uriah Tenette, who is winding down a spectacular athletic career. Tenette is currently No. 9 on Arizona's all-time scoring list with 2,654 points. He's closing in on No. 8 Jahii Carson, the former Mesa High and Arizona State phenom, who finished with 2,693 career points.  
But the primary goal for Prescott is a state basketball championship, something the school has never won in 110 years. It will be a challenging road, as Prescott hosts a solid Mesquite squad tonight, and a potential semifinal matchup with No. 3 St. Mary's looms.