2025-26 Girls Basketball

Host Sunnyside to play Pueblo in championship of Fourth Inferno Invitational

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The turnaround of the Sunnyside’s girls basketball program is indicative of how its holiday tournament — the Fourth Annual Inferno Invitational — has progressed under the planning and development of coach Justin Delgado.

Delgado recently earned his 100th win at Sunnyside and is 102-34 dating to the 2020-21 season.

In the six years prior to Delgado’s hire, the Blue Devils were 59-92.

The Inferno Invitational began in Delgado’s third year at Sunnyside and has grown to be one of the most anticipated holiday basketball events in the state leading up to Thanksgiving.

This year’s field includes 16 teams with traditional powers Pueblo, Flowing Wells and Sahuaro part of the field. Snowflake, which won the 3A state title last season, are also among the teams involved.

“The Inferno Invitational is always just a good starting measuring stick for us,” Delgado said. “We get to play different teams … we have a lot of good 3A squads here — Coolidge, Show Low and defending state champ Snowflake,” Delgado said. “I just like who I get to bring in here and just mix it up.”

Sunnyside (5-0) will face Pueblo (6-0) in the championship game at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Sunnyside has rolled through its first three opponents Sabino 66-18, Sahuarita 77-29, and Show Low 43-26.

“We have to continue to play tough competition and stay level-headed — one game at a time, one quarter at a time, one possession at a time, and just going from there,” Delgado said. “Playing some tough teams in the offseason helped us grow. We have a veteran team. I’d like to see where the chips fall come February or March.”

Sunnyside’s top players include senior guards Isela Rodriguez and Esabella Barajas, senior forward Angelique Yanez, and junior guard Dora Medina.

The Blue Devils defeated Flowing Wells 43-16 to reach the championship game.

Pueblo’s results through its first three games in the tournament include wins of 73-48 over Rincon/University, 71-35 against Queen Creek and 64-38 over Yuma Cibola.

The Warriors feature the veteran inside-outside attack of senior wing player America Cazares, junior forward Brooklyn Espinoza and junior guard Asia Clark.

Pueblo senior America Cazares has the potential to become Arizona’s first girls player to reach 3,000 points in a career this season (Javier Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)

“I call them, ‘Google Maps,'” veteran coach Izzy Galindo said with a laugh, noting their first names are points on the map. “They’re starting to play like the ‘Big Three.'”

Espinoza has 671 rebounds in her first third varsity season. Clark is at 584 points, 338 rebounds, 150 assists and 268 steals, also in her third varsity year.

Cazares scored 29 points in Pueblo’s 50-47 semifinal victory over Snowflake. She already has 161 points through the first six games (26.8 points per game) and 2,187 in her career. She is currently No. 19 in the state career scoring chart and only 813 points from reaching 3,000 points in her career.

The state record is 2,913 points, held by Julie Brase in her career at Catalina Foothills from 1995 to 1998. Brase, Lute Olson‘s granddaughter, later became a standout at Arizona, where she is now an assistant of Becky Burke.

“I’ve had seven 1,000-point scorers,” said Galindo, who is in his 14th season at Pueblo. “I’ve told them, ‘I couldn’t care less about your 1,000 points but if you’re close, I’m going to make sure you get it.’

“Same thing were (Cazares’) 2,000 points. At the end of the season, I’m like, ‘Hey, if you have a shot for it (3,000 points), I’m going to make sure you get it, but as of right now, we’ll worry about it game at a time. Let’s win the game. Let’s win the game.’ So if at the end of the season, if she’s there, we’re going to push for it. If not, we’ll push for trying to get to the state championship again.”

Cazares is bound for Pima College, where she will join Amphi senior forward Kayla Tuakalau, who is also playing in the Inferno Invitational.

Tuakalau eclipsed 1,000 career points in Amphi’s game with Sahuaro on Monday.

Tuakalau and Cazares will join former Flowing Wells standout point guard Nevaeh Urenda with the Aztecs next season. Urenda is a freshman with Todd Holthaus’ team.

Flowing Wells coach Michael Perkins, in his 21st season as head coach, will try to develop more talent this year after helping Kayla Bailey and Urenda advance to college basketball the last two seasons. Bailey is at Yavapai.

Navine Mallon, Class of 2023, is a junior forward at Westmont College.

Two of Perkins’ top prospects this season are juniors — guard Leila Whitaker and forward Allison Verdugo.

“Leila’s off to a real hot start, she’s averaging about 20 points a game and Allison Verdugo is kind of the leader in the paint,” Perkins said. “She’s got a nice little inside-outside game. They’re both juniors and developing, coming on really strong.”

ARIZONA GIRLS BASKETBALL CAREER SCORING LEADERS

Player SchoolPointsCareer
Julie BraseCatalina Foothills29131994-98
Alyssa BrownSahuaro26802017-21
Kayla PedersenRed Mountain26112003-07
Christina WirthSeton Catholic25502001-05
Ashley WirtzbergerYuma Catholic25052006-10
Alexis CortezTucson24792012-16
Nicole PowellMountain Pointe24781996-00
Shaylee GonzalesMesquite23852014-18
Olivia SnyderGreen Fields23822009-13
Alyssa WahlCibola23661999-03
Wendy WoudenbergScottsdale Chr22952001-05
Haley CavinderGilbert22822015-19
Marie FolsomCorona del Sol22701990-94
Desirae GonzalezKingman22552012-16
Brooke JacksonMesa Mtn View22502003-07
Lindsey VanAllenMesquite22492014-18
Hanna CavinderGilbert21922015-19
Dymond SimonSt. Mary’s21892002-06
America CazaresPueblo21872022-26
Sydni StallworthPalo Verde21822011-15
Shawn CoderWillcox21621986-90
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