He pulled his jersey over his head in disgust before putting it back on. Eight painful seconds later, a captivating Division I boys basketball championship game was over and Pinnacle was left holding a runner-up trophy and their heads buried in their arms on the bench, Drew Bender pulled his jersey off for the last time.

As Trey Ingram grew comfortable being the third scoring option for the Pinnacle boys basketball team this year, the Pioneers took off.

For the first two-plus quarters of play Saturday night, No. 4 Desert Mountain was executing coach Todd Fazio’s game plan to perfection in the boys Division I, Section III final.

We will remember 2012 as a year of change and extremely hard work by our board, staff and countless volunteers. As we wrap up the year, we thought we would take this opportunity to summarize what your Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has been up to since January of this year.

Every Christmas the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park sparkles with hundreds of thousands of lights, drawing crowds of parents, grandparents and children, anxious to climb aboard the open-air train and ride through the beautifully bedecked park or take a spin on the historic carousel.

If the handful of theater-goers in head-to-toe Packers gear aren’t a clue, the stage — with a lit-up scoreboard, stadium lights and a football field backdrop — is.

NEW YORK — "I know this sounds like it's not true," says Kaley Cuoco, "but as huge as the show is, it's just part of my life — not my whole life."

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has announced nominees for the 2012 Palo Verde Business Woman of the Year and the 10 women are well known in the community for not only their business but their service.

Ahwatukee Country Club, 12432 S. 48th St., Phoenix, (480) 893-1161

No tickets? No worries — at least, not if you know where to go for a little free entertainment. Complimentary concerts abound in the East Valley. We love them for those days when our schedules magically open up, giving us a chance for an easy, impromptu outing. Some of our faves:

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce its upcoming Women in Business Tradeshow and Luncheon on Sept. 18 at the beautiful Arizona Grand Resort, 8000 Arizona Grand Parkway, in Phoenix. Men, women, members and non-members are very welcome to join us, and take the opportunity to network with a diverse range of local businesses. It is a great opportunity to meet your business neighbor face-to-face.

Some of the Valley’s first new industrial buildings constructed since the recession’s onset are coming out of the ground in Tempe as the East Valley’s warehouse vacancy rate continues to fall.

Mesa native Breeja Larson certainly turned heads last month when she won the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

With "Step Up Revolution," their second summertime at-bat after "Rock of Ages," producers Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot return to one of the things they do best — making young unknowns look like the next big thing. In its fourth installment, however, the "Step Up" franchise has traded an air of inevitability for one of predictability. While die-hard fans and dance fanatics will respond on the opening weekend, ongoing competition from superheroes and cute cartoon characters may slow momentum in subsequent weeks.

By all accounts, one Mesa Little League made history when it hit the trifecta this month.

A bigger challenge, more recognition and a potential boost to students’ collegiate futures are just a few reasons East Valley charter schools are making the move to affiliate with the Arizona Interscholastic Association — the state’s governing body for high school sports and a host of other activities.

Ahwatukee resident Kari McCormick, business development manager, Native American Division for Kitchell Contractors, has been named economic developer of the year, Tribal Communities, by the Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED).

The laid-back pace of a holiday weekend means you can finally slow down, reconnect, and maybe even fit in a visit to someplace you rarely make time for in a usual week.

A year has passed. The outrage has subsided. The public outcry for change has faded. But the slain are still deceased; the wounded are still trying to recover and lives and families have been damaged forever.