Salpointe junior point guard Jayci Nelson had 12 points and sophomore post player Abuk Lual had 15 in No. 1 Salpointe’s 63-42 win over No. 8 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows in the 4A quarterfinal game. They led a total team effort with seven players scoring at least four points, all of… pic.twitter.com/1LOFjJout8
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) March 1, 2026
No. 1 Salpointe can be defined as being young without any seniors and also very balanced with coach Joe Luevano able to confidently call on 10 players to contribute.
Seven of his players scored at least four points each, led by Abuk Lual’s 15 points and Jayci Nelson’s 12, in the Lancers’ 63-42 victory over No. 8 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows in a 4A quarterfinal game Saturday night at Salpointe.
“That’s the beauty of our team; that’s the beauty of our program where we have kids who come here to win and to be selfless,” Luevano said. “So many of them stepped up and I was proud of them for that.”
Salpointe (28-4) will play No. 4 Surprise Paradise Honors (24-6) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the semifinal round.
Freshman guard Kayla Del Rio is one of the few players who did not score against Cactus Shadows, but she had 24 points over her previous four games.
Sophomore guard Emily Martinez, a transfer from Rincon/University, had five of her seven points in the fourth quarter against Cactus Shadows. The seven points ties her season high, accomplished two weeks ago against Walden Grove.
.@SalpointeB coach Joe Luevano has established himself as one of the top coaches in the state, leading his 28-4 team that has no seniors (after graduating eight seniors from last year who are college athletes now) to the 4A semifinals Tuesday against visiting Surprise Paradise… pic.twitter.com/35LcPadkr2
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) March 1, 2026
“A couple of games ago, Kayla Del Rio stepped up; it was her chance to step up and she scored some big-time buckets,” Luevano said. “Tonight, it was Emily Martinez. Emily Martinez not only came in and made some key shots but some free throws and was incredible on defense.
“That’s the beauty of this team. We’ve had so many kids who have stepped up at different times. Quite honestly, they’d be starting anywhere else. (Martinez) came here to be part of something special, hopefully, and win. Tonight, she stepped up and we’re very proud of it.”
The team has five freshmen, five sophomores and five juniors.
One turning point of the game was after Cactus Shadows tied the game at 17 with 4:46 left in the second quarter.
Sophomore reserve Aliyah Adger made her only shot from the field in the game, a 3-pointer, and freshman guard Erin Even converted a 3-point play to spark a 12-2 run.
Two free throws with 48.8 seconds left in the half by Even, sister of former Salpointe standout Allison Even, now a freshman guard at Trinity, put Salpointe ahead 31-21 at halftime.
A 3-pointer by Nelson and a layup by Lual off a pass from Nelson increased the lead to 36-21 with 6:52 left in the third quarter.
Arizona guard Evan Nelson here to cheer on his sister Jayci, a junior point guard with Salpointe. Evan proudly wearing a Lancer girls 2021-22 state championship T-shirt (the program’s first, with his sister Jolee on the team). He led the Salpointe boys to their first title in… pic.twitter.com/7SJaEhrhis
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) March 1, 2026
“We all look out for each other,” said Lual, a sophomore who has a world of potential at 6-foot-4. “We make sure we share the ball.”
Lual also had 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Nelson and fellow junior forward Aryanna Kollasch each had three assists to lead the Lancers. Kollasch suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter and used crutches after the game but mentioned she will be ready to play Tuesday against Paradise Honors.
Salpointe’s lead was 46-29 entering the fourth quarter after Lual led an 8-3 surge at the end of the third quarter with a couple of shots inside.
Cactus Shadows appeared as if it could make one last challenge after scoring the first six points of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 46-35 with 6:55 left.
That’s when Martinez fed a cutting Lual to the basket for a layup and then followed with a 3-pointer on the next possession to push the lead to 51-35 with 5:44 remaining.
“I’m blessed to coach them,” Luevano said of his balanced team. “I’m proud of them having the grit. That was a grit game. We use that word a lot, having grit. I’m glad we did that.”
Jayci Nelson has learned some of that grit as being a starter last year with seniors such as Allison Even, Sidney Anderson, Hannah Williams, Ava Dagnino and her sister Jolee. Taliyah Henderson and Jordan Watts were out with injuries but still were around to provide her leadership.
Nelson can draw from that experience and her time in the gym with her brother Evan, now a graduate senior guard with Arizona who led Salpointe to its first boys state title in 2019-20.
Evan was in attendance Saturday night to cheer on his sister a few hours after the Wildcats beat Kansas at McKale Center.
“We all grew up in the gym together, so watching him on and off the court has helped me become a better leader,” Jayci said. “Seeing him at the U of A thriving is really big. He’s a really big role model in my life.”
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