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AZ College Prep

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GAME DAY RECAPS

Dobson nips Gilbert for berth in 6A final 
February 28, 2023 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365

Dobson has played in four girls basketball state championship games in its four-decade history. On Tuesday night the Mustangs punched a ticket to No. 5.

Third-seeded Dobson turned back seventh-seeded Gilbert's fourth-quarter rally in the final three minutes to advance to the 6A title game with a 37-34 win at Dobson High. It will be Dobson's fifth appearance in a girls hoops title game in school history. The Mustangs won titles in 2010 and 2015 and took runner-up honors in 1990 and 2001.

Dobson (23-8) faces three-time defending 6A champion and fifth-seeded Valley Vista on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Valley Vista (22-9) earned a berth in the final with a decisive 61-39 victory over top-seed Hamilton.

Guard Jaziah Billey came up huge in helping Dobson prevail. The 5-foot-4-inch sophomore scored 11 of her 13 points in the third quarter. Billey's points in the third came on two driving layups, two perimeter jumpers of 12-15 feet and the final shot of the quarter. That final shot was a banked-in three from half court. The Mustangs, who won the East Valley Region title this season, increased a three-point halftime lead to 32-25 to begin the fourth quarter.

"(Billey) cranked it up for us in the third quarter," Dobson coach Henry Bribiescas said. "She's a voice for us, and a leader. Her scoring was huge." Billey's 13 points was a bonus - it was double her season average of 6.6 ppg.

Gilbert (16-13) was paced by junior guard Meisha Caserio with a game-high 15 points. Caserio scored 11 of her 15 points after intermission. Her long-range three with 27 seconds left to play pulled the Tigers within 36-34. Gilbert fouled Dobson's Aaliyah Garcia with 21 seconds left and Garcia converted the front-end of a one-and-one. Gilbert got the rebound of the missed free throw and called time with 15.6 seconds to go.

Caserio got the call to put up a potential tying shot, but it was off the mark. Gilbert still had a chance after Dobson missed three free throws, the last two with 3.5 seconds left.

Gilbert's last possession failed to produce a shot. A three-quarters-court inbound pass was picked off by Dobson's Isabella Jensen, who dribbled away the final ticks.

Gilbert handles CDS, 47-34
February 15, 2023 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365

Three-point shooting came in handy Wednesday night for Gilbert High in round two of the 6A girls basketball tournament.

The 7th-seeded Tigers sank nine treys for the game - six in the third quarter. That marksmanship allowed them to pull away from 10th-seed Corona del Sol in the third period and notch a 47-34 victory at The Jungle.

Gilbert improved to 15-12. Corona del Sol finished up 13-14. Gilbert advances to Tuesday's quarterfinals against #2 seed Sandra Day O'Connor. SDO eliminated #18 Chandler, 67-48, on Wednesday.

Gilbert built a 16-8 halftime lead thanks to the scoring of three players - junior Meisha Caserio, sophomore Emma Carrasco and freshman Aspen McClees. On defense the Tigers limited 6-foot-6-inch Corona freshman post Callie Hinder, the Aztecs leading scorer, to four points in the first half.

Hinder, however, kicked into gear offensively in the second half. She scored 18 points to finish with 22 - double her scoring average for the season. Her 10 third-quarter points were offset and then some by six Gilbert treys in the third - two apiece from Meisha Caserio (team-high 15 points) and Emma Carrasco (12 points) and one each from Morgan Evenson and Leila Josey.

Evenson offered offensive support for Caserio and Carrrasco in the second half. Evenson tallied all eight of her points after intermission, making five of six free throws to go along with a three in the third quarter.

Gilbert edges Highland, 56-55
January 17, 2023 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365

There were no double-digit leads in Tuesday's 6A hoops clash between #10 Highland and #13 Gilbert. But Highland's 54-47 lead - the biggest advantage for either team - looked to be decisive.

Gilbert had other ideas. Particularly junior Morgan Evenson. Evenson tallied eight of her 13 points in the fourth quarter - seven in the game's final 2 minutes and 10 seconds lifting the Tigers to a 56-55 victory at The Jungle.

Gilbert remained unbeaten in Central Region play. The Tigers are 11-7 overall, 3-0 in region. All of their region wins have come in the past five days. Highland, which had won four games in a row and six of its last seven, is 9-7, 1-2.

Highland senior Leah Ericson, who scored a game-high 21 points, supplied the Hawks with the 54-47 lead scoring via a layup with 2:52 to go. Then it was on to Evenson's comeback heroics with two free throws at the 2:10 mark.

Highland failed to score on its next possession and Evenson sank a baseline trey making it 54-52 with 1:54 remaining. A Highland turnover with 1:49 left allowed Gilbert a possession to tie or take the lead. The Tigers settled for a tie at 54 with freshman Aspen McClees (team-high 19 points) posting up for two with 1:30 left.

Ericson missed a shot with 1:20 left. Gilbert nabbed the rebound and Evenson finished her scoring with the tie-breaking basket with 56 seconds to go. Ericson made 1 of 2 free throws with 46 seconds left to make it 56-55.

Highland got a final possession with 10.8 seconds left, still trailing by one. Ericson missed an 8-foot shot in the lane and managed to grab the rebound. Her putback was no good at the buzzer.

GAME DAY RECAPS

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GILBERT HIGH SCHOOL
1101 E. Elliot Rd.
Gilbert, AZ 85234
(480) 497-0177 Ext. 169
GILBERT PUBLIC SCHOOLS