High school basketball: State quarters feature 5 Tucson-area teams

They’ll all have the same goal on their minds: to keep that from being their last road trip of the season.

The Pueblo and Sahuaro girls and the Catalina Foothills, Nogales and Sunnyside boys all punched their tickets to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament over the weekend. A victory there will assure at least one more visit to Glendale later this week, and would put them a win closer to playing in a championship game, something no local teams accomplished a year ago.

Here’s more about how these five teams got to this point and who they play next:

Sunnyside boys

Seed: No. 6 seed in Division II

Quarterfinal matchup: No. 19 Peoria Sunrise Mountain, Wednesday, 4:15 p.m.

Getting to Glendale: The Blue Devils rolled past No. 22 Chandler Seton Catholic 68-55 on Saturday night after a first-round bye.

Star watch: Senior forward Jacob Inclan finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds on Saturday to help Sunnyside win its 12th straight game and get back to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

About the opponent: Sunrise Mountain knocked off No. 14 Cienega in the first round and then upset third-seeded Glendale Apollo 48-47 on Saturday night.

Catalina Foothills boys

Seed: No. 10 seed in Division II

Quarterfinal matchup: No. 2 Avondale Agua Fria, Wednesday, 6 p.m.

Getting to Glendale: Foothills upset seventh-seeded Scottsdale Saguaro in a 49-47 win Saturday night to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

Star watch: Junior guard Jared Irwin hit the winning basket against Saguaro and has scored 36 points though two playoff games.

About the opponent: Agua Fria beat No. 15 Salpointe Catholic 65-57 on Saturday with for its 21st straight win.

Nogales boys

Seed: No. 21, Division II

Quarterfinal matchup: No. 4 Phoenix Paradise Valley, Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.

Getting to Glendale: Nogales is easily the biggest surprise in the state tournament, having pulled off back-to-back upsets on the road. The Apaches, who reached the semifinals a year ago, took down fifth-seeded, defending champion Gilbert Christian 60-57 on Saturday.

Star watch: Senior forward Adalberto Diaz has logged consecutive double-doubles, while senior guard Jose Estrada has scored 59 points over his last two games.

About the opponent: Paradise Valley beat No. 13 Phoenix Arcadia 55-40 on Saturday, and is led by 6-foot-5-inch senior wing C.J. VanBeekum.

Sahuaro girls

Seed: No. 13, Division II

Quarterfinal matchup: No. 5 Mesa, Tuesday, 2:30 p.m.

Getting to Glendale: The Cougars accounted for the lone upset in the second round, taking down fourth-seeded Tucson High on the road with a 65-60 win on Friday night. Sahuaro has won 12 of its last 13 games.

Star watch: Senior guard Reazsha Benjamin scored a team-high 20 points in the win against Tucson High and has scored in double figures scoring six of her last seven games.

About the opponent: Mesa topped No. 12 Ironwood Ridge in the second round, and has won 12 of its last 14 games, with both losses coming against perennial power Chandler Seton Catholic.

Pueblo girls

Seed: No. 6, Division III

Quarterfinal matchup: No. 3 Phoenix South Mountain, Thursday, 1:30 p.m.

Getting to Glendale: The Warriors had a first-round bye and then cruised past No. 11 Yuma Cibola for a 59-29 victory on Saturday night to win for the 10th time in their last 11 games overall.

Star watch: Sophomore guard Alicia Reyes scored a game-high 17 points in the second-round win, but is one of just three players to average double figures, along with Ilyssa Galindo and Araceli Loya.

About the opponent: South Mountain senior captain Najiyyah Pack, a 5-10 guard, averages 26.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.8 steals per game.