When Pusch Ridge Christian's boys basketball players beat Sabino in Friday night's semifinals, they received one of the best rewards in high school sports: A chance to play for a championship inside a professional arena.
Or not.
The AIA announced Saturday morning that it was moving the day's Class 3A state championship game to Gilbert's Highland High School in order to better accommodate the Class 2A boys and girls state title games at Gila River Arena in Glendale. Additionally, the AIA announced that Pusch Ridge's Championship game against Chandler Valley Christian would be played at 4 p.m., one hour later than originally planned.
The decision was made "due to concerns regarding the numbers of fans traveling to the 2A AIA State Basketball Championship games," the AIA said in a new s release sent after 9 a.m. Whiteriver Alchesay will play in both the boys and girls games; their die-hard fans traveling from the Fort Apache Indian Reservation likely would have overwhelmed a high school gym.
It's the latest venue change for the AIA, which scrambled Friday due to snow in Prescott Valley. The Class 1A state semifinals and finals were initially moved out of Prescott Valley, with Phoenix being a likely destination; hours later, the AIA announced that the games would go on as planned at Findlay Toyota Center — but both would be played on the same day. As a result, The Gregory School will need to win twice on Saturday — at 1:30 p.m., and, if it advances, 6 p.m. — to capture the 1A state title.
