NORTH 63, PUEBLO 62

N: 14-21-11-17: 63

P: 19-10-23-10: 62

NORTH: Tahjie Freeman 9 (1) 6-9: 25; Xxylina Flores 8 (4): 20; Estefani Brunson 4 (2): 10; Sophia Casey 2 1-6: 5; Alemitu Fischer 1 (1): 3. TOTALS: 24 (8) 7-15: 63.

PUEBLO: America Cazares 11 (3) 14-16: 39; Brooklyn Espinoza 2 7-10: 11; Asia Clark 3 (1) 0-2: 7; Regina Hoyos 1: 2; Bryza Rodriguez 1: 2; Amariz Cantu 1-2: 1. TOTALS: 18 (4) 22-20: 62.

 

 

No. 8 North freshman Tahjie Freeman put the Mustangs up 63-62 over No. 1 Pueblo with about 12 seconds left to send North to the semifinal round of the 5A playoffs where the Mustangs will face No. 5 Kellis on Tuesday for a shot at the state championship game. Pueblo was up 62-61 with 1:06 left but senior America Cazares injured her knee at that point and she was taken to the trainer’s room for evaluation and she missed the rest of the game.

Cazares led all scorers with 39 points and she broke the Arizona career scoring record on a couple of free throws with 4:09 left in the third quarter. Former Catalina Foothills standout Julie Brase Hairgrove set the previous career mark at 2,913 points when she graduated in 1998 and that record stood up until Saturday night with Cazares finishing with 2,932 career points.

“Congratulations to her on what is an incredible accomplishment,” Brase Hairgrove said before the game Saturday night. “If and when she breaks the record, it will be well deserved. Records are meant to be broken, and she has shown the dedication and consistency it takes to reach that milestone.”

Hairgrove went on to play for the University of Arizona before moving on to be an assistant coach with the Phoenix Mercury. She is currently an assistant with Arizona. Cazares is set to begin her college career at Pima next year and she will join the very successful rotation under head coach Todd Holthaus.

Tahjie Freeman led North with 25 points and Xxylina Flores added 20 and both standouts joined Estefani Brunson (10 points) with huge three-pointers down the stretch to help overcome a five-point deficit in the final minutes of play. Pueblo battled back from a 12-point hole the team found itself in after committing no less than six turnovers in a row to end the second quarter.

The turnovers proved too much to overcome and the Warriors ended the year with 23-6 record. North (27-2) and Kellis (20-7) will be on one side of the bracket and No. 3 Catalina Foothills (21-8) will travel to No. 2 Horizon (22-8) on the same night in the other semifinal. The 5A championship game is slated for March 6.

ARIZONA CAREER SCORING LEADERS

1 America Cazares, Pueblo (2,932) 2022-26

2 Julie Brase, Catalina Foothills (2,913) 1994-98

3 Alyssa Brown, Sahuaro (2,680) 2017-21

4 Kayla Pedersen, Red Mountain (2,611) 2003-07

5 Christina Wirth, Seton Catholic (2,550) 2001-05

6 Kayla MacKenzie, Kellis (2,515) 2006-10

7 Ashley Wirtzberger, Yuma Catholic/Gila Bend (2,505) 2006-10

8 Alexis Cortez, Tucson (2,479) 2012-16

9 Nicole Powell, Mountain Pointe (2,478) 1996-00

10 Shaylee Gonzales, Mesquite (2,385) 2014-18

11 Olivia Snyder, Green Fields (2,382) 2009-13

12 Alyssa Wahl, Cibola (2,366) 1999-03

13 Wendy Woudenberg, Scottsdale Christian (2,295) 2001-05

14 Haley Cavinder, Gilbert (2,282) 2016-19

15 Marie Folsom, Corona del Sol (2,270) 1990-94

16 Desirae Gonzalez, Kingman (2,255) 2012-16

17 Brooke Jackson, Mesa Mountain View (2,250) 2003-07

18 Lindsey VanAllen, Mesquite (2,249) 2014-18

19 Janae Gonzales, Sierra Linda (2,204) 2014-18

20 Hanna Cavinder, Gilbert (2,192) 2016-19