Bailey Bish of Tanque Verde (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

 

The top team from each of the seven sections will earn an automatic bid to the state playoffs and eight at-large berths will be awarded to the remaining teams based on iWr Ranking. In addition, 15 individuals not attached to a qualifying team will earn a spot in the state playoffs.

As of Wednesday, March 21, the top teams from each of the seven sections are Snowflake (Sec. 1), Wickenburg (Sec. 2), Thatcher (Sec. 3), Northwest Christian (Sec. 4), Bagdad (Sec. 5), Valley Christian (Sec. 6) and Desert Christian (Sec. 7).

Assuming teams will reach the required rounds, the next eight in would be Yuma Catholic (Sec. 2), Fountain Hills (Sec. 4), Blue Ridge (Sec. 1), Arizona College Prep (Sec. 6), Payson (Sec. 1), Arizona Lutheran (Sec. 2), Phoenix Country Day (Sec. 4) and Thatcher (Sec. 2).

The 15 individuals would be: Sarah Hameed (Gilbert Classical), Dougie Kelham (Rancho Solano), Jake Tellez (Safford), J. Cabot Fowler (Veritas Prep), RJ Wright III (Bisbee), Logan Adams (Willcox), Simon Trebon (Northland Prep), Ainsley Snyder (Gilbert Classical), Hayden Schutte (Odyssey Institute), Jake Scott (Kingman Academy), Anna Cochran (Horizon Honors), Will Vickery (Empire), P.J. Haynes (Pusch Ridge), Dre Hanley (Holbrook) and Brennan Weir (Arete Prep).

Tanque Verde senior Bailey Bish is one of a group of individuals within striking distance of an at-large berth with six weeks of qualifying left.  Bish shot a 9-over-par 45 to win a dual match with Pusch Ridge by one stroke over P.J. Haynes on Wednesday at the Forty Niner Country Club.

Bish is coming off a busy summer where she had the honor and distinction of being named a Semper Fidelis All-American.

The United States Marine Corps runs the Semper Fidelis All-American Program and, according to information provided by the Marine Corps, this program “recognizes high school students who face life’s battles with the conviction and determination to succeed. These students embody the same fighting spirit that Marines stand for by taking on the challenges of succeeding academically while bettering their communities and excelling in athletics and extracurricular activities. They have turned obstacles into victories through drive and passion and will be recognized for their achievements at the exclusive Battles Won Academy.”

Bish was one of 97 student-athletes from across the nation to earn this honor and a free trip to Washington, D.C. last July came with the program.

Bish was a promising basketball player at Tanque Verde as a freshman and sophomore but she went in for surgery in 2014 for a deviated septum and a bone spur but complications from the surgery led to a fever of 105.7 and a significant loss of blood. The result was the loss of normal function in her right hand and leg. A specialist later determined encephalitis was the cause of her difficulties due to bacteria spreading during her surgery.

“My right hand is spastic and my right leg is spastic and I have poor motor control on the right side of my body,” Bish said. “I couldn’t play basketball anymore and golf was a way for me to stay active so I took it.”

Bish would have liked to pursue the avenues and opportunities the Marines showed her during her trip but her physical limitations have caused a change of plans and she is focused on becoming a medical malpractice lawyer after she graduates from high school.

The Division III state championship is scheduled for May 8-9 at the Omni Tucson National.