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Scottsdale Christian wins second straight 2A title

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Progress Sports Editor

The last two meetings between Rancho Solano Prep and Scottsdale Christian Academy came down to the wire with the Eagles escaping in both matchups by a point. The �irst of those two meetings occurred in the 2021 2A state title game. The last meeting was in late January, when Garrison Sherman nailed a game-winner to lift the Eagles over the Mustangs yet again.

So, when the two Scottsdale schools met for a third time in a year at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix for the 2022 2A state �inal, another close matchup was expected. That’s exactly what the large crowd inside the Madhouse on McDowell got as the Eagles used free throws to pull away late in their 43-35 win over the Mustangs for their second straight championship.

“Pre-game, we said stops get rings. That’s kind of our motto,” Scottsdale Christian coach John Anderson said. “We know at this time, teams are so dynamic that you have to be able to lock in and our guys fought. Every single possession we said was a battle. You have to be able to play that battle out and you have to �inish that battle then move on to the next one. “We had enough wrinkles with them where we thought we could disrupt them and it ended up working out really well.” Scottsdale Christian was led by 6-foot6 wing Garrison Sherman’s 17 points, which came from everywhere on the �loor. His large frame, combined with 6-foot-8 center Braden Wales, created dif�icult shots in the paint for Rancho Solano.

The Mustangs were plagued with turnovers in the second quarter and were held to just 2 points – the lowest mark for the team all season. Despite only a singledigit de�icit, it was one they were never

Scottsdale Christian Academy senior guard Garrison Sherman, junior point guard Adam Mosher and senior center Braden Wales celebrate after defeating Rancho Solano Prep.

(David Minton/Progress Staff)

able to overcome throughout the �inal two quarters.

Even as Rancho Solano went on a 5-0 run to start the third, Scottsdale Christian countered with clutch free-throw shooting and connecting from deep. In the bonus and double bonus most of the fourth quarter, the Eagles cashed in from the charity strike to keep the Mustangs at bay. “Credit to all of our guys,” Sherman said. “We had that lead and we believed in every one of those guys who knocked down those free throws. Everybody wanted the ball. Everybody wanted to be the guy to hit the free throws at the time.” Rancho Solano was led by Royce Ramos’ 12 points. He also grabbed six rebounds, �ive of them on the offensive end of the �loor. Noe Vargas was the second-leading scorer for the Mustangs with 9 followed by Sagith Vargas with 8. Hunter Wales contributed 11 points for Scottsdale Christian as he and Sherman were the only two over the double-digit mark. Braden, however, grabbed eight total rebounds and had two of the team’s four blocks. “We play them twice a year, every year,” Wales said of Rancho Solano. “We always see them in the playoffs and our coaches to a crazy job scouting them and knowing all of their tendencies. Credit to our coaches for putting us in the right spot.”

The win over Rancho Solano Saturday was the third championship for Wales and Sherman, who have been at the varsity level since their freshman season at Scottsdale Christian. It’s the �irst time in school history a class has won three trophies, and the two posed together to commemorate the feat following the game. Anderson said it was only �itting for them to be the ones to capture the three championships. He called them the heart and soul of the Scottsdale Christian team. “I haven’t processed it yet. I’m so happy for them and I’m happy for these young guys,” Anderson said. “They get to see what it’s like and what those two went through when they were freshman. “I couldn’t be happier for those guys and all the other seniors. It’s a huge blessing and I’m excited to enjoy it with them.”