No. 5 Palo Verde and No. 11 Pusch Ridge will meet in the 3A state championship Saturday following their victories Friday in the semifinal round.
Palo Verde (24-5) defeated No. 1 Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin 52-48 and Pusch Ridge (18-11) upset No. 2 Florence 55-53.
The championship game tips off at 3:45 p.m.
Southern Arizona is assured its first state championship at the 3A level in boys basketball since 2003-04, when Rio Rico won it all.
Both programs will play for their first state title after reaching the championship game once before.
Palo Verde reached the 1999-2000 championship game and lost to Sahuaro at Phoenix.
Pusch Ridge lost to Chandler Valley Christian in the 2018-19 championship game at Gilbert Highland High School.
The Titans and Lions played each other on Jan. 17 at Pusch Ridge and Palo Verde won 51-48.
Daniel Ortiz, senior, had 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists in that game for Palo Verde. Kameron Pippen, a junior, added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Noah McKinney, a sophomore, led Pusch Ridge with 15 points.
Santino Almazan, a junior, finished 11 points and senior Hunter Edmunds had 10.
Ben Lambe, a junior, had seven points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots.
Palo Verde 52, Ben Franklin 48
Palo Verde advanced to the 3A title. Defeated Benjamin Franklin 52-48. Kameron Pippen scored 16 & Daniel Ortiz had 16 rebounds and 15 points for PV. Landon Christensen (24 points) made 6 threes for Ben Franklin. Final minute highlights: pic.twitter.com/uBXQ2zR4k1
— Jose E. Garcia (@AZPreps365Jose) February 28, 2025
Palo Verde outscored Franklin 13-5 in the fourth quarter.
Franklin led 45-39 with 5 minutes left and had the ball.
Palo Verde then went on a 13-3 run behind steals, 3-point shooting and rebounding.
“I’ve been an underdog my whole life and I’m coaching a whole bunch of underdogs,” fourth-year coach Anthony Smith said to AZPreps365.com.
Smith is a former high school dropout who has worked his way back toward helping youth in the community.
“I told them our super powers are doing the little things,” Smith said. “It’s the little things that it takes to win, and that’s what it was in the end, the rebounding and all of that.
“I told them, ‘Let’s shock the world and show them what underdogs can do.'”
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Ortiz made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to seal the victory.
Ortiz finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.
Pippen finished with 16 points and three assists.
Adrian Powers added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, and he also had four rebounds.
Palo Verde outscored Franklin 38-16 in the paint and 17-7 in fast-break points. The Titans’ reserve outscored Franklin’s bench 19-9.
Palo Verde’s defense also limited Franklin to 32.7 percent shooting from the field.
The Titans have won 10 of their last 11 games.
Pusch Ridge 55, Florence 53
Pusch Ridge, the 11th seed and fourth place finisher in its region, defeated No. 2 Florence 55-53 in the 3A semis. Noah McKinney (21 points) and Isaac Hardeman (14 points) led the way. Pusch Ridge coach Steve Solita on the win: pic.twitter.com/HYLXEop6GC
— Jose E. Garcia (@AZPreps365Jose) February 28, 2025
Noah McKinney had a team-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, and he also had five rebounds in the victory for the Lions.
Pusch Ridge, which won the 3A state title in football, has put itself in position for a boys basketball title heading into Saturday’s game by going on a 10-game winning streak after starting 8-11.
“Eleven guys who play with one heart,” Pusch Ridge coach Steve Solita told AZPreps365.com. “They’re ready to do it.”
Lambe blocked shot in the lane by Florence’s Logan Stenson to seal the win Friday for the Lions.
Lambe, a 6-foot-4 post player, finished with six points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
Isaac Hardeman, a senior, had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
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