PHOENIX — All season long, and all playoffs long, Sahuaro’s girls basketball team has been resilient. In Wednesday’s semifinal matchup against Phoenix Shadow Mountain, the Cougars overcame a nine-point deficit early to clinch a spot in the Class 4A state championship game.
Saturday against Chandler Seton Catholic, the Cougars found themselves in a similar hole.
This time, there was no magical comeback. And Sahuaro star Alyssa Brown — swarmed by double-and-triple-teams each time she touched the ball — couldn’t deliver in the way she had so many times this season.
Sahuaro fell 70-40 at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum as Seton Catholic won its 11th state title under coach Karen Self.
The Cougars’ dream season unofficially ended in the second quarter, when Seton Catholic outscored them 22-6. Seton Catholic’s Amanda Barcello, the sister of former Arizona Wildcats guard Alex Barcello, scored nine first-half points to help the Sentinels separate themselves.
“We came out super fired up, so once we got going, we felt really good about the rest of the game,” Barcello said.
Brown said Seton Catholic “made some 3s and we started to hang our heads. That’s when it started to get away from us, I think.”
Sahuaro’s Lilly Watson, center, looks to shoot during the Cougars’ 70-40 loss in the state title game.
Brown scored 21 points, eight under her per-game average, and kept her tried to keep her teammates’ spirits up as the deficit mounted.
“Just super proud of my team and the way we battled today,” she said.
It wasn’t that Sahuaro played poorly; it just ran into a better team. The Sentinels outscored their first three playoff opponents by a combined 210-80.
The team last allowed more than 40 points in a game in December.
Sahuaro’s season finished 28-2 under Steve Botkin. The Cougars lose nine seniors, though Brown — one of Southern Arizona’s elite scorers — returns for her senior year.
“Us juniors are going to take this feeling to motivate us for next season,” Brown said.
