The last time Sabino’s Phoenix Katz played in the Amphitheater High School gymnasium, he played for a different team and an opposing last-second bucket cut his season short.
Now a Sabercat, the 6-foot-7-inch Katz scored 27 points in No. 8 Sabino’s 75-52 win over 24th-seeded Fountain Hills (10-16) in the second round of the Class 3A high school boys basketball playoffs. The senior leader refused to remain winless at Amphi as Sabino (24-3) punched its ticket to the quarterfinals.
“When I was a sophomore at (Catalina) Foothills, we lost on a buzzer-beater to Salpointe (Catholic),” Katz said. “It was good to come in here and get redemption back in this gym, so I’m happy about that.”
Sabino jumped out to a 10-2 lead to start the game and used an uptempo offense to utilize Katz’s length and versatility while getting shooters open. Sabino guard Blake Rustand poured in three 3-pointers in the first quarter and had 13 points for the entire game.
“We came out hard and we came out fast,” said Sabino senior Cesar Saenz, who contributed 15 points.
The Sabercats ended the first half on a 10-0 run and took a 49-27 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
“We came out and used a lot of people and we stayed pretty aggressive getting up full court,” Sabino head coach Marty Roth said. “We made a run right before the half and they were tired.”
Despite Fountain Hills’ two quick buckets to begin the second half, Sabino controlled the tempo for the remainder of the game. Toward the end of the third quarter, Saenz ran up the court after a Fountain Hills turnover and as he went up for a layup, a Falcons defender contested the shot and crossed Saenz’s body. Saenz went airborne and landed on his back for a scary moment, which didn’t result in a flagrant foul.
“I just saw an arm across my body, that’s all I saw. And then I ended up on the ground,” Saenz said.
Katz, a Holland transplant since 2008, scored nine points in the second half and Fountain Hills couldn’t find an answer for his length. Katz even compared his skillset to former Arizona Wildcat and Chicago Bulls star Lauri Markkanen, because he’s a “European shooter that can play post.”
“He’s athletic and he’s the longest guy in the gym,” Roth said of Katz. “When he’s working hard, he brings an element that a lot of guys can’t handle.”
With just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Roth installed his reserve players and Sabino cruised to its eighth straight victory since losing three out of four between Jan. 8-16, when the players returned to school from winter break.
“We had a week where we weren’t ourselves and we kinda lost focus on who we were,” Roth said. “There was some adversity during that stretch and these guys handled it well and we grew from that.”
Up next: Sabino will play top-seeded Chinle (27-4) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, for a chance to advance to the semifinals.
“We got some things that we can get better at, but in the state playoffs it’s survive and advance so we’ll take it,” Roth said. “They’re very successful and very well-coached. We’ll be ready and we welcome the challenge.”
