PRESCOTT — Will this season finally be the one a Badger boys basketball team brings home the golden ball?

Prescott, which sits nestled in the mountains of northern Arizona and the historic first school district approved within the Arizona Territory in 1868, hasn’t won a title in its history.

And although that may change in 2024-25, coach Travis Stedman certainly isn’t focused on making history, at least not in November.

“We don’t look at it that way,” Stedman said when asked if this was Prescott’s best chance to date at winning a 4A title when considering that standouts Uriah Tenette and Zane Gaul are now seniors.

“I think maybe a lot of fans look at it that way, but we don’t take it like that. It sounds cliché, but every battle is our next battle. St. Mary’s is the next thing up and we’re worried about St. Mary’s,” said Stedman, who enters his seventh season at the helm.

“Every year, it doesn’t matter who is on the team, you can’t win a state title unless you win the games before that. We are fortunate that we have players who have the capability of making a good run, but we still have to do the work to get it done first,” he continued.

Prescott opens the season Tuesday, Dec. 3, at home against St. Mary’s.

The Badgers finished 21-5 last season and went undefeated in Grand Canyon region play to claim the title. The program qualified for the Open State Championships, losing 74-61 to Brophy Prep before heading to the 4A bracket, beating Arizona College Prep 71-50 to advance.

In the quarterfinals, Deer Valley got the best of them, 64-50 and went on to beat Sahuaro for the championship.

Tenette, who committed to UC-San Diego recently, averaged 31.4 points per game a season ago, while Gaul averaged a double-double at 16.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

“Right now, we’re taking it game by game, getting better every day. But by the end of the season, we’re definitely looking for a state championship, 4A or the Open, for sure,” Gaul said, adding that everyone on the team is feeling out their own “roles” right now and figuring out what they have to do to win.

“We need to get on that glass, rebound, both offensive and defensive. We’re playing some big teams, and I know we’re lacking in size after me,” the 6-foot-10 center said. “We have to play with more heart and more hustle than anyone.”

Tenette said there are “big expectations” this year.

“Having a whole returning class this year, losing just two seniors. We’re experienced from last year. We must dial in, play defense. We’re not as big as the past couple of years, and we need to clean the glass up. Putting the ball in the hoop isn’t going to be a problem for us, so just playing hard and being more endured than every other team,” the All-State senior said.

Cooper Magnett, another senior for the Badgers, will play a larger role this year and said that togetherness is important this year.

“We’ve made some good runs in the playoffs the last few years. A lot of us have been playing together since middle school, building that team chemistry. Really excited for the season,” Magnett said. "The goal is to bring home a state championship, and we really feel this is the year we can put it all together.”

Magnett added the team must stay healthy and consistent if they are to have a shot.

“Last year there were some games we weren’t full caliber that we lost that came back to bite us in the rankings and the playoffs," Magnett said. "Really buckling down every play on defense, getting rebounds will make a big difference this year.”

UP NEXT

The Badgers (0-0, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon) open the season with St. Mary’s, which made the Elite 8 in the Open State Championships a season ago, then road trips to Deer Valley (Dec. 5) and Arcadia (Dec. 9) before returning home to host 4A state semifinalist ALA-Gilbert North on Dec. 10.

Tipoff Tuesday is set for 7 p.m.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.