No, it wasn’t a football game between Pima and Fountain Hills. It was just two of the best defenses in 2A meeting up in a state semifinal basketball game. With a final score of 36-26, Pima moves on to Saturday’s championship.

The Roughriders (27-6) went wire-to-wire in this one. After the first basket of the game at 1:13 in, it was a lead they never relinquished.

A simple synopsis from head coach Cliff Thompson, “We’re not a great offensive team, but we know how to play great defense.”

Up 10-8 with just a few ticks left in the second quarter, and scoreless so far in the period, senior Keegan Corona hit a three-pointer before the buzzer to give Pima a 13-8 lead heading into the locker room and momentum going forward.

Corona finished with nine points and a game-high five assists. Fellow senior Charles Richardson shot 6-of-7 on the night for a game-high 12 points. The rest of the team shot 10-of 41.

Fountain Hills (21-8) was led by senior Ahren Lloyd, who had a team-high 11 points and seven rebounds. The Falcons were only able to manage 20 total rebounds, with three on the offensive end. It’s the second season in a row that Fountain Hills left Veterans Memorial Coliseum without a gold ball after losing to Rancho Solano Prep in last year’s championship game.

Thompson added, “This team isn’t as big (as the 2023 championship squad), but it has a lot of heart. The key was our confidence.”

Pima will face the winner of the Scottsdale Christian vs. North Valley Christian semifinal.

North Valley Christian junior Zathan Ruffin scored 17 points and added eights rebounds. (Seth Polansky photo/AZPreps365)

North Valley Christian seemed to bring it a little bit more each quarter. The Lions won each frame and defeated Scottsdale Christian 66-48 to punch a ticket to the 2A state championship game where the team will face Pima.

Both teams last won a championship in the 2022-23 season. NVC in 1A and Pima in 2A

The Lions (23-5) used their depth as most of the roster made an impact. Junior Zathan Ruffin played all but 18 seconds of the game while adding a team-high 17 points. Fellow junior Brayden Schmidt chipped in with 14 points and five assists. Five other teammates contributed to the point total.

NVC did all this without attempting a free throw until the fourth quarter when the Eagles were fouling in an attempt to reduce the gap. The Eagles shot just 5-of-12 from the stripe.

The difference in this one was the Lions’ ability to fill passing lanes and force the Eagles (19-9) into 10 turnovers.

“We just practiced making it tough for them and making them hit tough shots, which they did. But our defense had to carry us tonight,” said coach Randy Walker.

Scottsdale Christian sophomore Huddy Novak had almost half of his team’s points – 21 on 7-of-16 shooting. Most of that coming on six three-pointers. Junior Luke Herringer had a game-high nine rebounds.

Walker added, “Our seniors have just led by example. Good teams are led by coaches. Great teams are led by players. And this team is led by players."