GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Midway through the first quarter of Saturday's Division I girls basketball state championship game, the suspense wasn't whether Chandler Hamilton could upset heavily favored Phoenix St. Mary's. The suspense was whether Hamilton would score.
That's not a slight on the 12th-seeded Huskies, whose stunning run to the title game at Jobing.com Arena included upsets of the Nos. 1, 4 and 5 seeds. It's a simple nod to the withering St. Mary's press, which forced 24 turnovers, leaving the Huskies gasping for breath and often content simply to cross the half-court line with the ball still in hand.
"At the beginning of the year, this was the goal," said St. Mary's senior Shilpa Tummala after the Knights' 65-40 win gave them their second straight state title. "We sat down with coach (Curtis Ekmark) and we told him, 'We want a national championship. We're going to do whatever we have to do to get that.'"
In its 30 games, St. Mary's won by less than double digits just twice and entered Saturday's game ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, ESPN and USA Today national polls. Based on Saturday's result and an earlier title in the Nike Tournament of Champions, it's tough to imagine the Knights falling from that place of grace.
"To be honest with you, I don't really care," Ekmark said. "I hope we are (national champions), but I asked the kids to give me everything they had every single day and they did, so I'm proud of them regardless of what happens with the rankings."
The Knights' sixth overall state title was a fait accompli the moment they stepped on the court this season. With seven players from the Arizona Warriors club basketball team also on the roster -- as well as the coach -- St. Mary's (30-0) has battled the perception that it recruited a state championship team even though no specific allegations have ever been filed.
"The girls all knew the truth," Ekmark said. "The reality is this is a group of kids who are friends. It had nothing to do with anything other than they love each other and they love playing with each other. That overpowers anything that anybody else says on the outside."
Regardless of which side you believe, it was hard not to admire the lethal effectiveness of this group playing in unison one last time.
Tummala had 17 points in her final prep game, and the Knights blitzed the Huskies with a 20-4 first quarter that put the game on ice before Hamilton (27-7) could even get warmed up.
Tummala and Courtney Walton are the only two seniors on this year's roster, and both will play Division I ball next season, Tummala at Harvard and Walton at Louisville.
But Ekmark said several of his underclassmen have already received Division I offers as well, which should tell you one thing: St. Mary's will be the favorite again next season, especially with his daughter, Courtney Ekmark (game-high 28 points), back for two more seasons.
"They're a strong, strong group," Tummala said. "I expect them to three-peat."
Division II girls championship: Chandler Seton Catholic 52, Peoria 44
Heather Heild scored 16 points and the Sentinels took advantage of a controversial play to capture their third straight state title.
With Seton leading 27-26 in the third quarter, the Sentinels called a 30-second timeout. Seton’s players then went back on the floor, but Peoria’s players were still huddled with coach Leslie Saulsby.
An official blew his whistle to signal the start of play, and Seton (26-8) inbounded the ball on the other side of the floor while Peoria was still in the huddle. Playing 5-on-0, Seton made a layup and the basket stood despite Peoria’s protests.
Cecelia Pearl led Peoria (31-5) with 24 points.
