After tinkering around awhile, St. Mary's put its foot down and held up another trophy.

Perhaps it's because the senior year for a core group of Pinnacle girls basketball players. Perhaps it's because that same core group has been in championship games three times and had its collective heartbroken each time.

Pinnacle had a height advantage and good game plan in its Division I state girls quarterfinal matchup with Dobson on Monday afternoon.

Beep-beep and Pinnacle was running the floor in the Division I girls state basketball tournament Friday night.

Division I

As was the case back on Nov. 24 when Pinnacle and Mountain Pointe got together in the championship game of the Lady Hawk Basketball Tournament, Saturday’s Division I, Section III girls final showcased two of the bigger stars in Arizona: the Pioneers’ Sydney Wiese and the Pride’s Kayla Lupoe.

If this is Chantel Osahor hobbled, pity be to those who face her at full strength.

MLK Basketball Classic

Years ago, coach Nick Markette had the Hamilton boys soccer team over to his house for dinner.

It took a while for Gilbert’s boys soccer team to score, but in the end the result was more of the same.

Pinnacle advanced to the semifinals of the Nike Tournament of Champions on Thursday with a 70-57 win over Salesian High School (CA) at Basha High School.

Devante Walker and Zack Patton combined to score 43 of Campo Verde’s 69 points to lead the Coyotes to a slim 69-65 overtime victory versus visiting Higley on Thursday.

Visiting Higley got its first ever varsity girls basketball win over Williams Field as the Knights beat the Black Hawks, 47-44, on Friday night.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Chandler Prep's Travis Farschman hit his seventh three-point shot of the game with 15 seconds left in overtime and teammate Jack Hanson stole the ball seconds later to clinch a 62-59 victory over visiting Canyon State, Tuesday.

During the first 16 minutes of play Saturday night, something was clearly not right with Pinnacle senior guard Sydney Wiese.

Not many teams can lose a pair of college-bound stars and be just as good as the year before.

As long as Tempe Prep took care of the football, the third-seeded Knights would have success. For much of Saturday afternoon Tempe Prep looked stronger than No. 6 Thatcher in their Division V state quarterfinal game at Higley High School.

Nico Bayless’ two-yard rushing touchdown with under a minute to go in the game propelled No. 6 Apollo to a 24-20 win over No. 11 Horizon, Friday, in the first round of the Division II football playoffs.

It could have been the biggest win Tempe Prep history.