Ismael Galindo has a theory.
The longtime, do-more-with-less coach of the Pueblo High School girls basketball team believes each sibling who comes along is more advanced than the ones who preceded them.
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson.com and The Wildcaster.
Galindo has seen it first-hand with his five daughters, including 1,475-point career scorer Ilyssa and current point guard Sara. He has seen it with the Cazares sisters.
Odalis, at Tucson High, scored 24 career points, per MaxPreps. Then came Getsemani at Pueblo, 449. Then Victoria, a school-record 1,839. And now America, who’s on pace to shatter Victoria’s mark.
Only a sophomore, America Cazares had 1,142 points entering Pueblo’s game vs. Cholla on Friday. At 26.7 points per game, she is the second-leading scorer in the state of Arizona.
Sister Act 4 is a huge hit.
“The younger one’s always better than the older one,” Galindo says. “My opinion is, they’re watching while the older ones are playing, and they’re actually picking it up before even knowing (it).
Pueblo’s America Cazares puts up a leaner against Salpointe in the first quarter of a game on Jan. 11.
“And when they actually start to practice, they’ve already seen it, they’ve already visualized it.”
Here’s the thing about Galindo’s theory as it applies to the Cazares sisters, though: Just because you’re a better scorer doesn’t mean you’re a better player.
America isn’t a better all-around hooper than Victoria was. At least not yet.
After Pueblo’s 83-61 loss to Salpointe Catholic at Lever Gym on Jan. 11 — a game in which America Cazares had 28 points against a bigger, deeper opponent — I asked her who the best baller in the family is.
“Probably my sister,” America concedes, referring to Victoria.
Galindo puts it this way: “Victoria is a harder worker than America. I think America just has more skill.”
Her skill was evident on that chilly Thursday night at Pueblo High. The first bucket was an America Cazares step-back 3-pointer. Then another triple. Then three points the old-fashioned way.
Salpointe Catholic's Ava Dagnino, left, gets a hand on the shot from Pueblo's America Cazares, ruining her 3-point attempt, in the second quarter of their game on Jan. 11.
Cazares scored the Warriors’ first nine points despite clearly being the focus of the Lancers’ defensive game plan. They face-guarded her whenever she didn’t have the ball and hounded her whenever she did.
I sat in the stands, a few rows in front of Cazares’ supporters, who included Victoria; their father, Victor; and a couple of family friends.
They pumped up America at times, prodded her at others. At halftime, Victoria descended the bleachers and followed the team into the locker room. She had a few words for her little sis.
“I do that when I know she can improve on something or she needs a little motivation to continue to play her game,” Victoria says via text message about a week later. “I tell her to not get frustrated and to keep her head up. I explain to her what I see from my point of view so she knows what she can do different when the game starts again.”
How does she respond to that?
“If the game isn’t going her way she won’t say anything back to me; she’ll stay quiet,” Victoria says. “But I can see a difference when she gets back on the court, so I know she’s listening.”
Ayjianna Bonapart of Sahuaro battles for a loose ball with Pueblo's Victoria Cazares, left, and America Cazares, right, at Pueblo High School in the 4A state girls basketball championship quarterfinals on Feb. 21, 2023.
America appreciates Victoria’s willingness to help. Victoria is a student at Pima Community College. She hopes to become a nurse someday.
“She’s always honest with me,” America says.
America rarely seemed frustrated against Salpointe, even as Pueblo’s deficit grew and her shot didn’t fall as frequently. Mostly she smiled, laughed and chitchatted with the Lancers, whose players include two of her teammates on the AZ Supreme Hoops club team: Taliyah Henderson and Hannah Williams.
Only after a late 3-point attempt bounded off the front rim — at which point the game already had been decided — did America show any hint of dejection. Her sister and coach say she gets down on herself at times.
“She gets in her own head,” Galindo says.
Figuring out how to work through those stretches is part of the process. It’s part of maturing and growing up.
America Cazares — named after her dad’s favorite soccer team, Club América, of Mexico City — is only 15 years old.
Pueblo coach Ismael Galindo checks on the Warriors' Brooklyn Espinoza (10) as she comes off the court after a collision in their game against Salpointe at Pueblo High School on Jan. 11.
Galindo praised her shooting and basketball IQ. She can play defense when she wants to; she had three steals and three blocks against Salpointe. Her handle is excellent; at one point, she kept her dribble alive despite being knocked onto her backside. She regularly created space via between-the-legs dribbles and crossover steps.
“Leadership is where she lacks,” Galindo says. “She’s really young. Victoria was the aggressive leader of the team. She was here last year with her, so she would get on her a lot.”
Last year’s team made it to the 4A state championship game. This year’s team was 13-10 entering Friday and ranked 13th in 4A.
The Warriors suited up just seven players against the Lancers and played only six. Galindo says that’s pretty commonplace.
It puts a lot of pressure on top players America Cazares, Sara Galindo and Asia Clark, who’s just a freshman. Coach Galindo gives all three the green light.
“I’ve always done that since I’ve been here just because we don’t have the size,” Galindo says. “Every team we play is bigger than us. We never have a post player. So I tell them, ‘I’ll live with the run-and-gun as long as we get to the basket, get to the free throw line.’ ”
That approach, and the disparity in talent and depth that’s prevalent in Arizona high school girls basketball, can lead to some wonky box scores. On Dec. 13, Cazares scored 59 points — a “big school” record for Arizona — in a 101-16 victory over Palo Verde.
The record had been held by Pueblo’s Alicia Reyes, who scored 57 points against Cholla in 2016. As soon as Cazares nudged past her, Galindo took her out.
The Cazares sisters learned the game from their dad, a construction worker who played college basketball in Mexico. If she has the time, America will put up 500-1,000 shots a day in her driveway. Her favorite player — no surprise — is Stephen Curry.
Pueblo's America Cazares (3) curls up to protect the ball she just won during a scramble against Salpointe Catholic in the first quarter of their game at Pueblo High School on Jan. 11.
Cazares says she has three main goals as a basketball player: Lead her team to a state championship; break her sister’s school scoring record; and get scholarship offers to play in college.
America already has experienced scoring 59 points in a game and eclipsing 1,000 career points as a sophomore. I asked her to imagine what it would feel like to surpass her sister. The first thing she said: “I feel like she’s gonna be a little mad.”
Would Victoria be cool with that happening?
“I have to be,” she says. “Better her than someone else.”
Galindo wants America to aim even higher. The top scorer in state history is Julie Brase of Catalina Foothills with 2,913 points.
“I told her in four years she should get over 2,000, and now it looks like she might get close to 3,000 if she continues on this pace and continues to get better junior and senior year,” Galindo says. “She could do that. She could be the first 3,000-point scorer in Arizona.”
If she continues to progress, good things are coming to America.
PJ Brown, beat reporter covering Arizona Wildcats women's basketball for the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson.com chats with Star sports editor Brett Fera ahead of the UA's weekend matchup with Cal and no. 6 Stanford, in both teams' final Pac-12 visit to McKale Center.
