Sahuaro girls 'fearless' heading into state return

The 5-foot-10-inch post player told Botkin she’d do all she could to give her team a chance to play in a big arena. Harden also said she’d feel like her stellar four-year career would feel incomplete if she didn’t leave her coach with a championship.

So far, she’s stuck to her word.

Harden and the Cougars are back in the girls Division II state quarterfinals and play No. 5 Mesa on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at Gila River Arena in Glendale for a spot in the state’s final four.

“It’s honestly just crazy,” said Harden, who averages 8.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. “We can’t lose this game, we just can’t. We have to leave all of ourselves out on the floor — I’m not going to let coach be mad and we’re not going go back on the bus sad.”

Sahuaro made it to this point last year before suffering a 55-40 season-ending loss to Chandler Seton Catholic in a game that was played at Scottsdale Chaparral. It was after that loss that Harden guaranteed to her coach that they would have that opportunity to play on the big stage this year.

“She would go though a wall for us,” Botkin said. “That’s what’s really cool about her.”

The 13th-seeded Cougars are coming off a dramatic upset against No. 4 Tucson High on Friday night. Senior four-year starter Reazsha Benjamin scored a team-high 20 points in the 65-60 victory, while Harden added 14 points and eight rebounds.

Compared to last year heading into the quarterfinals, Benjamin believes Sahuaro is better prepared in multiple ways.

“We have more confidence and we have more of a strategic plan than last year going in,” said Benjamin, who averages 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. “I’m really excited (to play in the arena), but it’s going to definitely be different. It’s going to be a lot more to take in, but we just have to not let it get in our heads and just focus on the court.”

Additionally, both Harden and Benjamin agree with Botkin that the chemistry within the team is unmatched. That has been a big factor down the stretch, with the Cougars winning 12 of their last 13 games.

“We definitely want to take it all the way to the championship, and we see ourselves going that far,” said junior guard Elena Arriaga, who has hit 52 three-pointers this year.

“We have a really good chemistry with our team; we’ve really bonded and we all get along, so I think that helps with us working together on the court.”

Arriaga remembers leaving Chaparral’s gym last February upset not because their season was over, but rather because she knew they could have done more. She knew the Cougars could have pulled off the upset.

Botkin admitted there were nerves heading into that game because it was unfamiliar territory against a perennial power. Even though the challenge is just as big this year, Botkin’s group is poised to keep playing.

“They seem fearless to me,” Botkin said. “You can put any opponent out there. We might get beat, but they don’t seem to worry about, ‘Oh, my gosh, we’re playing blah, blah, blah.’ It’s almost like we want to experience this next step, we want to take on a challenge.”

Schedule / B8