EDITOR'S NOTE: This article reflects changes made to a prior state championship appearance in 2024.

PRESCOTT — Averi Mehlberg scored 20 points, including five in overtime, Skylie Gonzales added 15 and No. 6-seeded Mesquite upset Prescott on the road with a 58-54 win Tuesday night, advancing to the 4A state finals.

It is the first time the Wildcats (21-9, 10-0 4A Desert Sky) have advanced to a state championship contest since 2024 when they lost to Salpointe Catholic in the 4A title game. They won it all in 2017.

“As a senior I don’t want my season to end on a loss. So, we need to keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing, just putting our heads down and grinding it out,” Mehlberg said. “I mean, as long as we’re confident, who can beat us?”

Mehlberg hit three 3-pointers in the first half and had 13 of her 20 points during the first two periods, but went cold until she hit a bucket in overtime and was 3 of 4 from the free-throw line to seal the deal.

Addie Prisciandaro (1) drives to the basket during the first half of the 4A state semifinals as Prescott hosted Mesquite on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The senior finished with 21 points in the loss. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)

The Wildcats didn’t start out well, trailing 8-4 after a Bella Abt bucket at the 5:14 mark in the first period, but the team that made a 2-plus hour bus trip north to play figured it out quickly.

“The crowd, we kind of got wrapped up in it in the first half and we struggled on defense as well. But, we had a good talk at halftime and coach gave us the motivation we needed,” Mehlberg said.

Gonzales struggled shooting from the field, scoring only 12 points in regulation, but hit a huge 3-pointer to begin the overtime period, which seemed to set the tone for Mesquite’s confidence in the frame.

“We worked so hard for this. I’m just so excited,” the junior standout said. “It’s important to hit your shots and get some momentum going so I’m glad we pulled this out.”

Mehlberg said she’s always confident in Gonzales’ skills on the court.

“She could be 0 for 10 and I’m confident that her 11th shot will go in,” Mehlberg said.

With 1:17 left in overtime and Prescott (26-4, 12-0 4A Grand Canyon) trailing 54-49 after a Lizzie Norton transition bucket, Badger sophomore Cate Jones knocked down a 3-pointer to tie it at 54-54, but Jensen Cowart would drop a 15-foot jumper with confidence to give her team the lead in overtime to give her club a win.

“She’s come a long way. She knows her role, and she knows I’ll let her take that shot out there once in a while,” Prescott head coach Jami Johnson said about Jones’ big three to tie it in overtime, adding that she couldn’t be more proud of her kids.

“They just kept fighting like they’ve done all year,” Johnson said.

Addie Prisciandaro finished with 21 points, while Abt scored 20 points in the loss.

UP NEXT

Mesquite heads to the 4A championship game to face No. 4 Paradise Honors, which upset No. 1 Salpointe Catholic 56-54 on Tuesday night.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at Arizona Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

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.