The emotions and tension of playing for a state high school basketball championship will be old hat for the two finalists in the Division I girls tournament on Saturday morning at Jobing.com Arena.
Top-seeded St. Mary's (28-1) has won two consecutive state titles and has played in the championship game in five consecutive years. Third-seeded Pinnacle (33-2) will be playing in its third title game in the past four years, albeit at a different level. The Pioneers have yet to hoist the championship trophy.
The two powerhouses will meet at 2 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised on FOX Sports Arizona on tape delay at midnight.
St. Mary's, whose roster includes six Division I commits, has won 59 consecutive games against Arizona teams. The Knights have won their three state tournament games thus far by margins of 46, 26 and 19.
They defeated fifth-seeded Hamilton 74-55 in Thursday night's semifinals, getting 28 points from junior Courtney Ekmark, who has already committed to national powerhouse Connecticut, and 15 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists from senior Chantel Osahor, who is committed to Washington. Those two are complemented by seniors Brandee Walton (New Mexico State), Chloe Johnson (San Diego State), Dominique Williams (UCLA) and Danielle Williams (Michigan).
Pinnacle rolled to a 61-49 win over Highland behind 21 points apiece from Sydney Wiese, an Oregon State commit, and Britta Nordstrom. The Pioneers have also enjoyed an impressive postseason run, winning by 28, 12 and 12 points to reach the final.
The Division II finalists both upset higher-seeded teams to reach Saturday's 10 a.m. championship game.
Sixth-seeded Flowing Wells (29-4) got 20 points from Indiana-bound senior Lyndsey Leikem to upend second-seeded Seton Catholic 41-34 in Thursday's semifinals. The victory was the 15th in a row for the Caballeros and the 11th consecutive game in which they held their opponent to fewer than 40 points.
Flowing Wells derailed Seton's bid for a fourth consecutive title. The Caballeros last won a state championship in 2008.
Eighth-seeded Saguaro (25-9) advanced to the title game with a 41-35 victory over fifth-seeded Liberty behind Jelani Huma's 12 points. The Sabercats established themselves as a championship contender by knocking off top-seeded Bradshaw Mountain 41-40 in the quarterfinals, ending a 30-game winning streak for Bradshaw Mountain.
The Division II game can be seen live on FOX Sports Arizona Plus at 10 a.m.
