Players compete with an intensity similar to that of state tournament.

Josiah McDaniel takes over as girls coach at Boulder Creek after departing Horizon.

Basketball, wrestling and soccer will return next school year with new sectional formats.

Chandler High played the game it wanted against St. Mary\'s for the first 15 minutes of the 5A-I girls basketball championship game on Friday. It was that last minute of the half that was ugly and esentially ended the Wolves hope of claiming the title St.. Mary\'s used an 9-0 run to end the first half and that opened the gates to a 73-60 win over Chandler at Jobing.com Arena.

Pinnacle was determined to put the clamps on Tolleson guard Syerra Davis on Friday in the 5A-II girls basketball championship game. The Pioneers hounded Davis one-on-one and did a fine job on the Wolverines leading scorer, who had scored 49 points in two previous meetings this season. The solution was for other Tolleson players to step up. That they did.

Pinnacle girls basketball is resilient. The Pioneers want that moniker to read champions. Sophomore guard Sydney Wiese played like a champion with an amazing 35-point effort Wednesday night helping No. 2 seed Pinnacle edge 10th-seed Horizon, 65-61, in a 5A-II girls basketball semifinal at Jobing.com Arena.

They were not close games the first two times the teams met. Nothing changed the third time. Top-seed Tolleson jumped out to a 17-10 lead after the first period and methodically put away fifth-seeded Westview, 62-37, on Wednesday afternoon in a 5A-II girls basketball semifinal at Jobing.com Arena.

Class 5A-II games feature three boys teams from Desert Valley Region and two girls teams.

The defining moment for Seton Catholic Saturday morning came in the final 10 seconds of the first half of its 4A-II girls championship game against Thunderbird. Thunderbird hoisted up a shot from half court that caromed off the backboard. Noone blocked out the shooter, Shelbie Hess, and she snuck through the lane and scored as the half ended giving the Chiefs a 27-26 lead at halftime. That was an attention getter. No. 2 Seton stormed out in the third quarter, regained command and finally wore down No. 5 Thunderbird in the final period to notch a 61-49 victory and win its second straight state title at Jobing.com Arena.

Austin scores three-pointer at the buzzer to allow Huskies to advance to 5A-II semifinals.

Aubrey Lincoln had to take time off in the fourth quarter Friday night to deal with her fourth foul, but the only points she contributed in that quarter were oh so huge. Lincoln sank two free throws with 10 seconds left to break a 51-51 tie and give fifth-seed Xavier a heart-stopping 53-51 victory over No. 4 seed Highland in a 5A-I girls basketball quarterfinal battle at Highland.