The top-ranked Ironwood Ridge High School girls soccer team cruised into the Class 5A state semifinals with a shootout win Wednesday night against No. 9 Cave Creek Cactus Shadow. The team won 6-5 in penalty kicks after the teams played to a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime.Â
The Nighthawks were one in a trifecta of shutouts for Tucson soccer teams Wednesday, with each to advance in the state playoffs. In the Class 4A bracket, No. 5 Catalina Foothills took out third-ranked Flagstaff 4-0, and No. 3 Salpointe Catholic blanked No. 6 Prescott 1-0.
Sahuaro, playing as the 4A seventh-seed, wasn’t as lucky. The Cougars fell to No. 2 Phoenix Arcadia, 2-1. No. 10 Rincon/University’s season also ended with a 2-0 loss to No. 2 seed Queen Creek Casteel.
Ironwood Ridge will play No. 5 Campo Verde at 3 p.m. Saturday at Coronado High School in Scottsdale, with the winner facing Goodyear Millennium or Queen Creek Casteel in the 5A championship.
Catalina Foothills will take on top-ranked Phoenix Thunderbird at 1 p.m. Saturday at Williams Field High School in Gilbert, with a chance to face Salpointe Catholic or Arcadia in the 4A title game on Feb. 19. The Lancers play at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Several Southern Arizona teams also hit the hardwood for state playoff games.
Mountain View, Nogales and Cholla each lost in the first round of the 5A playoffs. The Mountain Lions lost 66-32 to top-seeded Gilbert, the Apaches fell 66-54 to No. 5 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows, and No. 7 Phoenix Sunnyslope took out Cholla 49-38.
Tucson High lost to No. 5 Gilbert 48-38 in the first round of the 6A girls bracket, while No. 12 Pueblo, No. 4 Sahuaro and No. 6 Salpointe all advanced in the 4A bracket.
Sahuaro will host Pueblo in the quarterfinals, while Salpointe advanced to visit No. 3 Mesquite. Both of those games will be 7 p.m. Saturday.
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Boys basketball
Class 5A state playoffs, first round:
No. 1 Gilbert 66, No. 16 Mountain View 32
No. 5 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 66, No. 12 Nogales 54
No. 7 Phoenix Sunnyslope 49, No. 10 Cholla 38
Girls basketball
Class 6A state playoffs, first round:
No. 5 Gilbert Highland 48, No. 12 Tucson High 38
Class 4A state playoffs, first round:
No. 12 Pueblo 48, No. 5 Goodyear Desert Edge 26Â
No. 4 Sahuaro 64, No. 13 Phoenix Greenway 28
No. 6 Salpointe Catholic 60, No. 11 Glendale Cactus 53
Girls soccer
Class 5A state quarterfinals:
No. 1 Ironwood Ridge 0, No. 9 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 0 (Ironwood Ridge wins 6-5 in shootout)
No. 2 Queen Creek Casteel 2, No. 10 Rincon/University 0
Class 4A state quarterfinals:
No. 5 Catalina Foothills 4, No. 3 Flagstaff 0
No. 3 Salpointe Catholic 1, No. 6 Prescott 0
No. 2 Phoenix Arcadia 2, No. 7 Sahuaro 1
THURSDAY’S GAME
Girls basketball
Class 5A state quarterfinals:
No. 13 Rincon/University at No. 12 Queen Creek Casteel, 7 p.m.
