Missouri's Leo Lyons jumps over Memphis' Robout Sallie in the West Regional at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale on Thursday.

GLENDALE – When freshman Marcus Denman swished one from three-quarters of the court at the halftime buzzer to put his team up by 13, it sure looked like Missouri’s night.

And when Mizzou later made it a 24-point lead, it looked downright easy. That’s when Memphis made things interesting.

J.T. Tiller scored a surprising 23 points and Missouri held off a frantic rally, ending Memphis’ 27-game winning streak with a 102-91 victory Thursday night in the semifinals of the West Regional.

The display of intensity and toughness “out-Memphised” the opposition to put Missouri one win from its first trip to the Final Four.

“We kind of got punched in the mouth right from the beginning of the game,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “They broke us down defensively like we break people down. They beat us at our own game.”

Third-seeded Missouri led by 24 points four minutes into the second half, then saw Memphis close within six with 2:14 to play. Mizzou put it away from the foul line.

Missouri (31-6) advanced to play top-seeded Connecticut for the West title Saturday.

“We came out and kind of took the fight to Memphis early on, and before you know it, our guys had a little confidence,” Missouri coach Mike Anderson said.

Dynamic point guard Tyreke Evans scored 33 for second-seeded Memphis (33-4). The Tigers were 18 of 32 from the foul line; last year, a poor showing at the foul line cost them dearly in an overtime championship game loss to Kansas.

Tiller, the co-defensive player of the year in the Big 12, made 10-of-16 shots and had three steals. He was averaging only eight points per game.

“His energy was just contagious,” Anderson said. “I thought he was like a pit bull in a china shop out there. He was going everywhere, just bowling down everybody. He was wherever the ball was.”

All five Missouri starters reached double figures. DeMarre Carroll scored 17 and Leo Lyons had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Lyons was 11 for 18 from the foul line but made four straight in the final 1 1/2 minutes. In all, a whopping 77 free throws were taken, with Missouri making 30 of 45.

Robert Dozier had 19 points and 16 rebounds in Memphis’ first loss since a Dec. 20 setback against Syracuse. Antonio Anderson scored 18 in his last game for Memphis.

No. 1 Connecticut 72, No. 5 Purdue 60: At Glendale, Hasheem Thabeet scored 15 points, had 15 rebounds and blocked four shots as top-seeded Connecticut overcame a sluggish first half and beat Purdue in the West Regional semifinals.

One day after a Yahoo! Sports report claimed UConn committed NCAA recruiting violations, the Huskies (30-4) reached the regional finals for the fourth time since 2002.

“Hasheem just took the game over,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “Purdue, quite frankly, ran into one of the best players in America in Hasheem Thabeet. Beyond that, the game might have been different if we had just, quote, a regular center.”

UConn outrebounded Purdue 48-33.

East Regional

No. 1 Pittsburgh 60, No. 4 Xavier 55: At Boston, Levance Fields gave Pittsburgh the lead with a 3-pointer with 50.9 seconds left, then scored off his steal as the Panthers advanced to the regional finals for the first time in 35 years.

Top-seeded Pitt (31-4) trailed 54-52 before Fields made the go-ahead shot. The star point guard followed by poking the ball away from B.J. Raymond and going in for a layup with 23.9 seconds to go.

Sam Young led Pitt with 19 points, Fields had 14, and DeJuan Blair had 10 points and 17 rebounds in the East semifinal victory.

“We came in expecting to win two games,” Fields said before acknowledging the obvious: “It was dramatic.”

Pitt was last in a regional final was in 1974 when it lost to eventual national champion North Carolina State.

BOSTON – No team has beaten more favorites in the NCAA Tournament through the years than Villanova.

The third-seeded Wildcats beat No. 2 seed Duke for the first time in more than 50 years on Thursday night, getting 14 points and 11 rebounds from Dante Cunningham to win 77-54 and advance to the East Region final.

It was Villanova’s 14th NCAA victory over a higher-seeded team – the most in tournament history.

“Hopefully that will be some magical power that helps us beat Pitt,” Wildcats guard Scottie Reynolds said.

Villanova (29-7) will play Big East rival and No. 1 seed Pittsburgh (31-4) on Saturday for a trip to the Final Four. The Wildcats beat Pitt 67-57 in their regular-season meeting at Philadelphia on Jan. 28.

“When coach handed us the brackets, he only gave us the four teams in our area. We looked up and knew Pittsburgh was in that area,” Cunningham said. “That’s something we kind of looked forward to.”

The Panthers spent three weeks as the No. 1 team in the country this season. They were ranked third when they faced Villanova.

But rankings and seeds have meant little to the Wildcats. They’re 14-12 as a lower seed since 1979, including their 1985 run to the national championship as a No. 8 seed – the lowest ever to win it all.

“It just shows what kind of program and tradition we have here,” Reynolds said.

Villanova was playing on the tournament’s second weekend for the fourth time in five years, though Jay Wright’s Wildcats have yet to reach the Final Four. But the fans could sense another chance, chanting “We want Pitt!” when Corey Stokes hit a 3-pointer with 2:27 left to give Villanova a 71-50 lead.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Billy Gillispie says he’s positive Kentucky is close to becoming a “great” team.

Whether the embattled second-year coach gets a chance to find out is anybody’s guess.

A day after Kentucky’s season ended with a loss to Notre Dame in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals, Gillispie remained committed to his job even though he can’t even say for sure whether he will be back.

School officials have been quiet about Gillispie’s job status after the Wildcats tumbled through the second half of the season to finish 22-14, tied for the second-most losses in the program’s 106-year history.

University president Lee Todd said recently Gillispie’s position would be evaluated at the end of the season. Todd attended the loss to Notre Dame but did not respond to requests for comment by The Associated Press on Thursday.

Athletic director Mitch Barnhart was planning to meet with Gillispie, though the coach said during his radio show Thursday night no meeting had been scheduled.

When asked after the loss to Notre Dame if he expected to be back, Gillispie said the decision wasn’t up to him.

“You’re asking the wrong guy,” he said. “All I know is to go to work, recruit, coach and that’s what I did, that’s what I’ve done and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”

Just maybe not at Kentucky.

Gillispie is 40-27 two seasons into a seven-year deal with Kentucky that pays him a base salary of $2.3 million annually. Averaging 20 wins a year is respectable at most places. He knows most places, however, aren’t the home of college basketball’s all-time winningest program.

“A lot of teams would be happy with 22 (wins) but not always around here when it’s not the right 22,” Gillispie said during his radio show.

Elsewhere

INDIANA: Guard Malik Story will transfer at the end of the semester to a school closer to his home in Los Angeles. Story averaged 5.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in 31 games this season for the Hoosiers (6-25).

MISSISSIPPI: Forward Malcolm White has decided to transfer. White averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 31 games, 27 starts, this season.

OHIO STATE: B.J. Mullens is the latest “one and done” at Ohio State. The 7-foot freshman announced Thursday he would declare himself available for the NBA draft, the fifth Buckeyes player in the last three seasons to leave after playing one year.

The Columbus-area native averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, and shot 64 percent from the field to set a school freshman record.

SOUTH REGION

No. 2 Oklahoma (29-5) vs. No. 3 Syracuse (28-9)

Where: Memphis, Tenn.

Tip-off: 4:27 p.m.

Overview: Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense was hard on the last All-American it faced, holding Arizona State’s James Harden to 10 points on 2-for-10 shooting. Now comes a stiffer test. Six-foot-10 Blake Griffin has been indefensible in the tournament, muscling through double- and triple-teams.

Assuming the Orange can limit his damage, the onus falls on OU guards Willie Warren, Austin Johnson and offensively struggling Tony Crocker.

Stattitude: Syracuse’s NCAA opponents to date, Stephen F. Austin and Arizona State, shot a combined 31.1 percent.

No. 1 North Carolina (30-4)

vs. No. 4 Gonzaga (28-5)

Where: Memphis, Tenn.

Tip-off: 6:57 p.m.

Overview: Carolina will need to play some defense. Gonzaga – one of the nation’s 12 top-scoring teams along with the Tar Heels – can run and shoot with them. But as his toe continues to heal, Ty Lawson figures to be even better than he was against LSU.

And Tyler Hansbrough, heading into the last week or two of his career, will be plenty motivated after a subpar, nine-point, nine-rebound performance vs. Josh Heytvelt and the Zags in the NIT Season Tip-Off in November 2006.

Stattitude: Carolina is 3-0 against the rest of the Sweet 16 (beating Michigan State and Duke twice). Gonzaga is 0-3 (losing to Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis).

MIDWEST REGION

No. 2 Michigan State (28-6) vs. No. 3 Kansas (27-7)

Tipoff: 6:37 p.m.

Overview: Defending national champion Kansas has a powerful inside-outside duo in C Cole Aldrich and G Sherron Collins but will need major contributions from a young supporting cast to beat a balanced Michigan State team that has a 10-player rotation. Eight Spartans have led the team in scoring in a game this season.

Stattitude: In January, Michigan State beat Kansas 75-62 in East Lansing behind Lucas’ 22 points. MSU also won the rebounding battle handily with 42 to Kansas’ 31.

USA TODAY

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Rafael Nadal was determined to overcome the tricky, swirling winds that made serving and even hitting routine shots tricky.

No. 1 Nadal powered his way to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Andy Murray on a gusty Sunday afternoon at the BNP Paribas Open to win his second Indian Wells title in three years.

Like Nadal, Vera Zvonareva was steadier in the wind than her finals opponent, beating defending champion Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (5), 6-2 to win the women’s title.

Nadal’s low, hard groundstrokes gave him an edge against No. 4 Murray, more of a counterpuncher whose game relies on pace and a mix of shots.

“The conditions today were really difficult. But I think I had a good strategy and played a really good match under this conditions,” Nadal said. “Probably Andy didn’t play his best because of the conditions, but I think I played a really complete match, moving very well.”

Zvonareva added the singles trophy to the one she won in doubles with Victoria Azarenka a day earlier. Zvonareva had beaten Azarenka in their singles semifinal.

No. 6 Zvonareva joined Lindsay Davenport as the only women to win the singles and doubles title at Indian Wells in the same year. Davenport did it in 1997 and 2000.

Armstrong racing Monday

PALENCIA, Spain – Lance Armstrong will race against the past two Tour de France winners when the five-day Vuelta of Castilla and Leon begins Monday.

The seven-time Tour champion will line up against Spanish cyclists Carlos Sastre (2008) and Alberto Contador (2007) for the first time since his return this season after 3 1/2 years in retirement.

The 37-year-old Armstrong finished 125th in the Milan-San Remo Classic on Saturday, his first race in Europe since his comeback from retirement.

The University of Arizona women’s swimming team couldn’t successfully defend its NCAA title, but it did secure another top-three finish.

The Wildcats finished third with 389 points at the three-day meet in College Station, Texas, finishing behind California (411 1/2) and Georgia (400 1/2).

UA has finished in the top three eight times in the last 12 years under coach Frank Busch.

Top-five finishes for UA swimmers Saturday were: Ana Agy, fourth in 200 backstroke, 1:51.99; and Julie Stupp, fifth in the 200 breaststroke, 2:09.59.

The UA men will compete in the national meet starting Thursday in College Station.

UA women’s tennis

The Wildcats improved to 9-5 with a 6-1 win over host Hawaii in Honolulu on Saturday.

Danielle Steinberg won 6-0, 6-3 at No. 1 singles for UA, which hosts Sacramento State at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

UA gymnastics

Arizona finished fifth in the Pac-10 meet Saturday in Palo Alto, Calif.

UA finished with a 194.325 score. UCLA won with a 196.725.

Briana Bergeson posted team highs on the bars (9.8) and beam (9.85) for the Wildcats, who will compete in the NCAA regionals beginning April 4.

UA women’s golf

The Wildcats finished 15th at the Betsy Rawls Invitational on Sunday in Austin, Texas.

The Wildcats shot a 68-over 932 total. Purdue won the event with an 8-over 872.

Nikki Koller logged 10 over par to finish 26th, the best finish among UA golfers.

Arizona is next in action on April 3 at the PING/ASU Invitational in Tempe.

UA men’s golf

Arizona is in third place with an 8-under 568 through two rounds of the National Invitational Tournament at Tucson National.

New Mexico leads with a 16-under 560.

UA’s Jonathan Khan is tied for fourth with a 4-under 140, three strokes off the lead.

The final round was scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. Monday.

Pima women’s basketball

The Aztecs finished third in the NJCAA Division II national tournament after beating Parkland (Champaign, Ill.) College 69-55 on Saturday.

The Aztecs (28-6) got 17 points from Tia Morrison and 15 from Courtney Payne (Cienega).

Pima trailed 29-21 at halftime but outscored Parkland 48-26 in the second half.

Pima baseball

The Aztecs split a doubleheader at Paradise Valley on Saturday, losing 3-2 and winning 8-1.

Tim Reed picked up the win in game two, and allowed one unearned run on three hits in eight innings. He struck out 11.

Justin Zumwalde (Sabino) hit a three-run homer in the first inning to give Pima the early lead.

The Aztecs (20-13-1) visit Scottsdale at noon Tuesday for a pair of games.

PEORIA – Chris Young figures the Arizona Diamondbacks can have a powerful offense all season.

Young and Miguel Montero each hit three-run homers, Ryan Roberts added a solo shot and Arizona rallied from five runs down to beat the San Diego Padres 12-7 on Sunday and snap a four-game losing streak.

“That’s the potential we have in our lineup,” said Young, who also singled, doubled and had four RBIs. “We haven’t been clicking. We had some guys on, some guys off.

“Today was one of those days where everybody came out ready to go. You could see the aggressiveness at the plate, guys out there really trying to make things happen.”

Arizona right-hander Dan Haren gave up two homers and five runs in the first two innings but settled down from there. He lasted five innings, his longest outing of the spring.

Jody Gerut and Edgar Gonzalez homered for San Diego.

Hitters from both teams benefited from the blustery conditions. Gonzalez had to pause after rounding second base until an umpire signaled his two-run homer off Haren had cleared the fence. Gerut’s homer also appeared wind-blown.

Defensively, it was just the opposite. Outfielders had trouble tracking fly balls in the wind, with San Diego committing four errors while Arizona had one.

“If it’s real hot or real cold you can kind of deal with it, but no one likes the wind,” Haren said. “The outfielders hate it. It’s tough out there. You see a lot of balls misplayed. Pitching-wise, sometimes the ball’s moving a little bit more than usual. It’s just uncomfortable.”

Haren said the conditions affected his pitching early. San Diego’s first three batters reached base and scored, then Gerut added a two-run shot in the second to make it 5-0.

“The conditions out there weren’t really conducive to pitching,” said Haren, who struck out five but gave up nine hits. “I got some balls up early. I was more focused on being down as the game went along and had some better results.”

Young started Arizona’s comeback with his three-run homer off Josh Greer with one out in the third. One out later, Chad Tracy hit the first of his three doubles and Mark Reynolds walked before Montero homered to right to give the Diamondbacks a 6-5 lead.

Tracy added run-scoring doubles in the fifth and sixth, and Roberts homered in the seventh.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Aaron Cook warms up before the first pitch of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Indians at Hi Corbett Field.

Cliff Lee and Aaron Cook were masterful in a matchup of staff aces.

Lee finally resembled his Cy Young Award form while Cook showed crafty command Sunday in the Colorado Rockies’ 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians.

Lee had struggled this spring, allowing 14 earned runs in 6 1/2 innings coming in. But he found his rhythm against the Rockies, giving up two runs in five innings.

“It’s the kind of progression I wanted to have,” said Lee, who went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA last season. “Things kind of came together pretty good today. I feel like I’m right where I need to be.”

The same can be said of Cook, who had another stellar outing.

Relying heavily on his sinker, Cook pitched five economical innings, giving up just one run and five hits while throwing only 59 pitches.

His 1.89 ERA is among the lowest in the Cactus League.

“I feel like I’m in a great place,” said Cook, who made his first All-Star team last season. “When you are in a good place, it makes you feel a little bit more confident going into the season.”

Cook had some traffic on the bases, but always managed to get out of the jams. In the third, he got Ryan Garko to roll into a 6-4-3 double play to end a potential threat.

“I’ve become really comfortable pitching with guys on base,” he said. “I think it’s just maturing, realizing I don’t have to go out there and strike everybody out. I can get a groundball and get out of it just as fast. I just have to trust my stuff to get out of it.”

Christian Colonel drove in two runs for the Rockies while Jeff Baker went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Ian Stewart had a go-ahead single in the eighth.

George Lombard had a two-run homer and a double for the Indians.

The Rockies were missing starters Garrett Aktins (groin), Brad Hawpe (hamstring) and Troy Tulowitzki (lower back) as they recover from nagging injuries.

Atkins has been out for nearly two weeks, but resumed light running Sunday. With time winding down before opening day, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle is hoping to see some on-field activity from Atkins real soon.

“I do believe we’ve got enough time” to get him ready, Hurdle said. “If we can get him on the field this week sometime, we still have enough time.”

Hawpe and Tulowitzki took the afternoon off just as a precaution.

Hawpe hasn’t played since coming out with a cramp in his left hamstring on Friday.

“Feeling good,” Hawpe said. “Just got to take another day or so.”

Tulowitzki’s back tightened up during the bus ride to Surprise on Saturday and he was a late scratch from the starting lineup.

He didn’t want to take any chances Sunday, opting to ride the stationary bike instead.

“That’s something that just crept up on me,” Tulowitzki said of his back. “We’re just trying to be smart.”

Houston Astros catcher Ivan Rodriguez catches a pop-up against the Washington Nationals on Sunday in Kissimmee, Fla. Rodriguez signed a one-year contract with the Astros on Friday.

Ivan Rodriguez caught on right away in his Houston Astros debut, while Ricky Nolasco and the Florida Marlins turned in a Grapefruit League no-hitter.

Playing his first game with his new team, Rodriguez stroked a single to center field in his initial at-bat and helped Houston to a 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

The Astros plugged Rodriguez into the No. 2 spot in the lineup and the 14-time All-Star catcher finished 1-for-3 at the plate in Kissimmee, Fla.

“I feel good out there,” he said. “I’m just trying to get used to my new teammates, and so far it was good. I was very pleased with the way I played today and the way our team played.”

After waiting all winter to land a job, Rodriguez finalized a $1.5 million, one-year contract with the Astros on Friday. He can earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses.

Houston starter Brian Moehler enjoyed his first game with Rodriguez behind the plate.

“He mixed the pitches up well. We seem to be on the right page,” said Moehler, who threw three hitless innings before leaving with a bruised pitching shoulder.

“I know it’s difficult for him because he hasn’t caught these guys before. It’s a learning experience for him as well as us.”

Moehler left the game as a precaution after he was hit on the right shoulder by Ryan Zimmerman’s line drive. He doesn’t expect to miss any starts.

A 13-time Gold Glove winner, the 37-year-old Rodriguez will use the rest of the spring as a cram session to learn the ins and outs of Houston’s pitching staff.

“Communication is very important,” he said. “I’ve already talked to some of the starters and the other guys, and we’re pretty much on the same page. I want to be the guy to make their work easy, from every starter down to the bullpen.”

John Lannan threw six shutout innings for Washington, allowing four hits.

Nolasco was even better, combining on a no-hitter with Dan Meyer and Leo Nunez in Florida’s 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Lakeland, Fla.

Nolasco struck out eight over seven innings and faced the minimum 21 batters. He walked Ramon Santiago leading off the first and hit Jeff Larish with a pitch in the second, but the runners were erased on double plays and Marlins pitchers retired Detroit’s next 22 batters.

“It’s obviously something cool to be a part of. It’s something we do want to accomplish as the game goes on when you see you’ve got that opportunity,” Nolasco said.

Meyer and Nunez each pitched one inning. Nolasco returned from running to watch Nunez get the final two outs and the save.

Meyer said there wasn’t any talk of the no-hit bid in the bullpen.

“There’s some pretty superstitious guys in baseball, and some aren’t, but it’s kind of an unspoken thing,” he said. “Even though it’s spring, it’s still a special thing to be a part of. I think it’s great.”

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said it was the first spring training no-hitter he has witnessed in nearly a half-century in baseball.

Detroit’s Justin Verlander gave up two hits in five scoreless innings.

In other news:

• Right-hander Gavin Floyd and the Chicago White Sox agreed to a $15.5 million, four-year contract, a deal that includes a club option for 2013.

• Milwaukee is preparing to open the season without new closer Trevor Hoffman, a former Arizona Wildcat, because of a strained muscle on his right side.

• Tampa Bay outfielder B.J. Upton likely will miss the start of the season. Upton is coming off shoulder surgery, and he has a bruised hand after being hit by a pitch during a minor league spring training game.

Ex-Sahuaro basketball coach Dick McConnell (center) with former players Brian Peabody (left) and Jim Ferguson . Peabody (Ironwood Ridge) and Ferguson (Santa Rita) are the Tucson Citizen's co-coaches of the year.

Ironwood Ridge High boys basketball coach Brian Peabody and Santa Rita’s Jim Ferguson each led their respective teams to within seconds of state championships this season – Peabody in Class 5A Division II, Ferguson in 4A-II.

The two have elevated themselves to elite status in the Arizona coaching ranks and were named Tucson Citizen Co-Coaches of the Year for the past season.

Even with their success – each has won state titles and has coached in several more – they have to combine their career records to match that of their mentor, the coach each once played for at Sahuaro High, Dick McConnell.

“It will never be matched, what he did,” said Ferguson of McConnell’s success at Sahuaro, where he accumulated the majority of his state-record 714 wins. “Maybe Brian (Peabody) can get close, he’s young enough. Maybe his son, Rick (McConnell) up at (Mesa) Dobson might make a run, but it’s going to be tough to match what he accomplished right here.”

Ferguson and Peabody, who joined their coach Monday in Sahuaro’s McConnell Gymnasium, are two of many McConnell pupils coaching around Arizona.

“I’d say 99.9 percent of what I do is directly because I learned it from him” Peabody said. “He’s the greatest mentor any coach could have. We still eat dinner two or three times a week and every time we’re out, there’s someone that comes up to him and thanks him for something he did for them. . . . He’s touched more lives than you could even imagine.”

Sahuaro High School's Ashley Walls averaged a double-double for the Cougars this season, earning the Tucson Citizen Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Girls Basketball Player of the Year

WHO: Ashley Walls, Sr., Sahuaro High School

WHAT SHE DID: Walls proved to be the best post player in southern Arizona, averaging a double-double on the season.

The 6-foot Walls averaged 12.3 points per game, 10 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots while leading the Cougars to the Class 4A Division I quarterfinals.

QUOTABLE: “The thing I’ll remember most about this season,” Walls said, “was how much of a family this team was. We were so close and that was the best part.”

• • •

“She played any position we needed her to, and she was one of the best players I’ve ever had the fortune of coaching,” said Sahuaro coach Steve Botkin.

Santa Rita junior guard Terrell Stoglin led the Eagles to their third-straight state title game this season and earned Tucson Citizen Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors.

Boys Basketball Player of the Year

WHO: Terrell Stoglin, Jr., Santa Rita High School

WHAT HE DID: Stoglin led his team for the third straight season to the Class 4A Division II state championship game.

The 6-foot Stoglin averaged 27.8 points per game this year. Heading into his senior season, he is 953 points from the state’s all time scoring record of 3,002 set by former Phoenix Shadow Mountain High and University of Arizona star Mike Bibby.

If he plays 30 games next year, he would need to average 31.8 points per game to set the mark.

QUOTABLE: “I was happy with how I did this season,” Stoglin said, “but getting to the championship game and losing for a third time is frustrating. We’ll just work even harder and we’ll win it next year. I guarantee it.”

Player of the Year

Terrell Stoglin, Jr., Santa Rita

Co-Coaches of the Year

Jim Ferguson, Santa Rita

Brian Peabody, Ironwood Ridge

FIRST TEAM

Pos. Name, Year, School

G Terrell Stoglin, Jr., Santa Rita

G Michael Perez, Jr., Pueblo

C Brandon Duliakas, Sr., Iron. Ridge

F Aaron Anderson, Sr., Mtn. View

F Sterling North, Sr., Cat. Foothills

SECOND TEAM

G Lawrence Hampton, So., I. Ridge

G A.J. Koch, Sr., Flowing Wells

G Coree Aten, Sr., Cienega

F Chad Carter, Sr., Ironwood Ridge

F Matt Korchek, Jr., Sabino

THIRD TEAM

G Mark Simmons, Sr., Santa Rita

G John Lohmeier, Sr., Sabino

F Andre Hatchett, Jr., Santa Rita

F Brandon Burnett, Jr., Cienega

F Seth Wilson, Sr., Marana

HONORABLE MENTION

AMPHI: Chris Johnson, Lestor Medford. BUENA: Derek Lane, DeChe Milburn, Anthony Miller. CDO: Rodney Clark, Josh Lewis. CATALINA: Daniel McIver. CAT. FOOTHILLS: Connor Bailey, Adam Katz. CHOLLA: Martin Alvarez, Christian Luna, Michael Luna. CIENEGA: Seth Mejias-Brean. DESERT CHRISTIAN: Aaron Aikman, Kevin Sommitz. FLOWING WELLS: Drew Harris. IRONWOOD RIDGE: Tyler D’Amore. MARANA: Seth Wilson. NOGALES: Manny Castro, Rodolfo Suarez. PALO VERDE: Derion Coleman, Adam Hall, Dorian Paige. PUEBLO: Stephen Ponce. PUSCH RIDGE: Kyle Kirkwood. RINCON/UNIV.: Juan Pablo Favela, Travis Timmons. SABINO: Anthony Neals. SAHUARITA: Daniel Conorque. SAHUARO: Lasal Banks, Dior Ford. SALPOINTE: Frank Kalil. SANTA RITA: Roland Jones, Dominique Kelley. ST. GREGORY: Frankie Mgbolu, Bennett Sawyer. SUNNYSIDE: Jose Gomez, Ryan Santiago Romero, Rosthenhausler. TUCSON HIGH: Shakir Smith, Sama Taku.

Player of the Year

Ashley Walls, Sr., Sahuaro

Coach of the Year

Kerri Brown, Canyon del Oro

FIRST TEAM

Pos. Name, Year, School

G Nadi Carey, Sr., Canyon del Oro

G Amber Cordova, Sr., Palo Verde

G Christine Clark, Jr., Tucson High

F Ashley Walls, Sr., Sahuaro

F Sydney Lewis, Jr., Canyon del Oro

SECOND TEAM

G Marquisha Corley, Sr., Rincon/Univ.

G Charde Mayne, Sr., Canyon del Oro

G Ivana “Moose” Vidal, Sr., Sahuarita

F Hannah McLeod, Sr., Pusch Ridge

C Darian Saunders, Fr., Palo Verde

THIRD TEAM

G Hannah Simpson, Sr., Rio Rico

G Jaimee Swan, Fr., Marana

G Anyela Lopez, Sr., Tucson High

G Jasmine Grant, Jr., Catalina

G Libby Stropko, Jr., Catalina Foothills

HONORABLE MENTION

AMPHI: Essence Johnson. BUENA: Taneka Ruben, Keyondra White. CANYON DEL ORO: Sarah Batterton, Nicole Ruiz. CATALINA: Jordan Button, Darcy Earnhart. CATALINA FOOTHILLS: Shakayla McEaddy, Kelsey Thorson. CHOLLA: Alicia Hunter, Laura Lopez. CIENEGA: Alyssa Deal, Becky Jaeger, Megan Placencia. DESERT CHRISTIAN: Jeni Kabel. DOUGLAS: Erika Tapia, Gaby Valencia. IRONWOOD RIDGE: Kelci Wilson, Lauren Vidal. MARANA: Danielle Crook, Lindsay Honea. MOUNTAIN VIEW: Chelsea Beringson, Elizabeth Simental. NOGALES: Cassie Alvarez, Abby Garcia, Prissy Heredia. PALO VERDE: Cindy Miranda. PUEBLO: Hilliary Martinez. PUSCH RIDGE: Cheyenne Link. RINCON/UNIVERSITY: Alyssa Mort. SABINO: Kaitlin Allison, Alysia Gooden. SAHUARITA: Antoinette Dickens. SAHUARO: Ana Haro, Cashala Thompson. SALPOINTE: Jessica Miller, Melissa Stachovic. SANTA RITA: Amber Kemp. SUNNYSIDE: Clarissa Willis. TANQUE VERDE: Lauren Aboud. TUCSON HIGH: Ratanya Newsome.

CDO girls coach Kerri Brown led the school to its first title since 1987, when CDO was coached by Dan Huff (right).

Tucson Citizen girls basketball Coach of the Year Kerri Brown walked by it every day.

“Sitting in the trophy case, there it was: Dan’s trophy,” Brown said, referring to the 1987 state title won under former coach Dan Huff when Brown was a sophomore at the school. “It still hasn’t set in that we get to put our own right there next to that one now.”

Brown led CDO to a 30-1 record and a 4A-I state championship, the school’s first since Huff’s title.

“And she’s going to win a bunch more,” Huff said. “She had a great team this year. The first (championship) of many for her.”