Don’t let the smiles in the photo above fool you.

Scottsdale Christian and Pima’s players were happy just as much as they were relieved to defend their 2A Conference basketball titles. Having a target on their backs can weigh players down at times.

Throw in worthy opponents such as Rancho Solano Prep and Sedona Red Rock and the 2021-22 championship road wasn’t exactly filled with joy rides. But Scottsdale Christian and Pima still completed their missions, winning back-to-back championships while defeating the same opponents from last year.

The Pima girls held on for a 38-36 win over Sedona Red Rock, and the methodical approach of the Scottsdale Christian boys helped them defeat Rancho Solano 43-35 Saturday at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

“We felt that target the whole season,” said Pima’s Aubrie Sherwood, who scored a game-high 14 points. “People were coming after us. But we love the pressure. We enjoyed it. We love the opportunity to come here and play and we are really grateful for it.”

Sherwood certainly didn’t shy away from the limelight these past two seasons.

Her championship buzzer beating three off the glass in overtime last year lifted her team to a 50-48 victory after it rallied from an 11-point deficit. On Saturday, Sedona Red Rock had a chance to at least tie the game in the waning seconds after Pima missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

But Sedona Red Rock turned the ball over. Pima recovered the loose ball and then ran out the clock to wrap up a 29-1 season and the program’s fifth championship trophy.

“Wooo!” Pima coach Roy Corona said. “That’s a really good team (Sedona Red Rock). They match us all over the place. It’s two good teams that are alike, and they are tough.”

It took a while for Pima to get going in their second title duel against 24-2 Sedona Red Rock.

The champ didn’t convert its first field goal until the 7:09 mark of the second quarter, but that Jayci McClain basket sparked a 13-0 run. Transition baskets as well as using a diamond press seemed to awaken Pima as well.

“When I put the press on it gets us going for some reason,” Corona said. “I don’t know why, but it does.”

Having one of Sedona Red Rock’s best ball handlers, Helen Westervelt, in foul trouble didn’t help the team during a stretch in which it went from a 9-2 lead to trailing 22-13.

“They (Pima) are tough,” Sedona Red Rock coach Kirk Westervelt said. “They fight for every ball.”

Pima’s Ashlynn Chlarson was one of those tough players.

The center scored a key basket in transition near the end of the game and led her team with 10 rebounds and three blocks. Another key to victory was Pima outrebounding Sedona Red Rock 47-33.

“It’s family,” said Corona about his squad. “We’re a family in that gym. They are amazing girls. As hard as they work out here in practice and on the court, it’s amazing.”

Scottsdale Christian was also home to a close knit bunch this basketball season.

“Every person on this team loves each other,” Scottsdale Christian guard Michal Fan said. “We believe in each other and we trust each other and that’s how we were able to put it together and win a state championship.”

This season’s edition of Scottsdale Christian didn’t score as much as last year, but it more than made up for it with its D.

“This year it was ride or our die with our defense,” Scottsdale Christian coach John Anderson said.

That defense held Rancho Solano to 35 and 33 points during its two meetings this season, about 23 points below Rancho Solano’s season game average.

The Scottsdale programs know each other well and have played in multiple championship games over the past four years. Scottsdale Christian’s coaching staff used that familiarity to formulate a plan to slow down Rancho Solano.

“They executed their game plan better than we executed ours,” Rancho Solano coach Aaron Trigg said. “Props to them. They are well coached. They are smart. We dug ourselves a hole and weren’t able climb out.”

Scottsdale Christian (25-4), the No. 2 seed, led 19-10 at halftime and didn’t relinquish the lead in the second half.

"We wanted to disrupt with our tempo and switch to zone in the middle of their sets and it was enough to throw them off,” Anderson said.

Scottsdale Christian’s free throw shooting struggled early in the season, but in the 2A final it converted 11 of 12 in the final 2:39 and 17 of 21 in the game.

It also shot 50 percent from the field and made six of its 10 threes. Two of Scottsdale Christian’s bigs, Sherman Garrison (17 points) and Hunter Wales (11 points), led the team in scoring while Royce Ramos finished with 12 points for Rancho Solano in the 2A final.

The victory also gave Scottsdale Christian its 8th championship.

“Stops get rings,” Fan said. “That’s what they told us. Stops get rings.”