Division-II top-seed Seton Catholic needed technically needed to five to hold off pesky and athletic South Mountain 54-44 in overtime. The pesky and athletic eighth-seeded Jaguars gave the Sentinels all they could handle before eventually fading at Jobing.com Arena.
“I just felt like we were a little out of sync,” Seton head coach Karen Self said after the game. “Their defense was so strong. They’re so athletic. It’s very difficult to score against them. We were not getting any good looks at the basket.”
With Seton facing elimination senior forward Julia Barcello took over first tying the game in the closing seconds of regulation, then becoming the focal point of the offense in overtime scoring in the paint with a bevy of left-handed moves. The Sentinels were eventually able to make South Mountain play catch up but the Jags went cold in overtime and the #1-seed advances to one of the semi-finals Friday evening to face Buckeye in Glendale.
10-seeded Saguaro didn’t experience nearly the scare in one of the earlier semi-final games racing out to a 17-5 first-quarter lead and rolling 18th-seed Peoria 60-45. The Sabercats were effective from both inside and out offensively while the Panthers struggled from the field and had no answer for senior Casey Rarrick who played an excellent overall floor game.
“We came in really well prepared,” Saguaro head coach Chris Young explained after the game. “The girls had a lot of confidence. They were playing at a really high [level].”
Saguaro will play third-seeded Cienega in the semifinals.
Eric Sorenson
