Seliga's Reaction: St. Mary's wins 4A title over Deer Valley in OT thriller

By Jacob Seliga

Lead Writer

To say that I’m still in shock as I type this would be an understatement.

What the 2,500 fans inside Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the countless others watching on the NFHS Network were able to witness on Thursday night was nothing short of Arizona high school basketball at its best.

Among St. Mary's and Deer Valley, there was only one Division I prospect who didn’t take a minute off for the whole game. There were nine others that shared the court with him giving every ounce of effort they had in the Knights 59-55 overtime win in the 4A title game.

From the start of the game, the first thing that stood out was the size advantage St Mary’s had over Deer Valley. The Knights trotted out a lineup of four players over 6-foot-5, including Cameron Williams who stands 6-foot-11. To put it in perspective, Deer Valley only has one player in their entire roster over 6-foot-5. And even though the size disadvantage was known going into the game, it wasn’t abundantly clear until the game started just how large the gap was.

Early on, the Knights took advantage of their size by attacking down low and using both Williams and Caspian Jones to force Deer Valley to either fall or give up the lay up.

It wasn’t until the second quarter that the Skyhawks eased into the matchup. 

Sergio Gonzales, for the third year in a row, stepped up in the championship atmosphere by being a pest on the defensive end alongside his brother Simon.

The Gonzales brothers blitzed the ball handlers of the Knights and forced turnovers, which led to quick baskets for the Skyhawks to cut St. Mary's lead to two heading into the half.

Out of halftime, St Mary’s received a huge boost as AJ Muandumba, who had made only six 3s on the season at under 30%, knocked down two wide open shots to balloon the Knights' lead.

Responding for the Skyhawks was Tyran Simpson and Carter Guggenberger, who were forced to play a high-low game as the Knights upped the pressure on the Gonzales brothers.

This back-and-forth affair went on until the final possession of regulation, which saw St. Mary’s get three shot attempts at the buzzer, two of which rimmed out.

Deer Valley jumped out to a one-point lead in overtime, which the Skyhawks held onto until a minute left before a Williams and-one gave the Knights the lead back.

From there, Brody Postorino iced the game with two free throws, clinching St Mary’s first state championship in five years. 

This game had it all. One player busted his nose, another one had his lip cracked open. There were hard fouls, and even harder collisions from elbows and falls to the ground.

It was as if a heavyweight bout took place, yet both teams poured their hearts into the 94-feet, 6-inch court that was in the heart of the coliseum. And for 36 minutes of game time, nothing stood in the way of the 10 players on the court at any given time from being able to fight for what they felt called to win.

And although one team may have won and the other went home in defeat, no one that touched the court on Thursday night could say they didn’t give it their all. 

That’s what makes the game special, and it’s why these kids and coaches sacrifice for 10 months of the year. For moments and games like the one that was played on Thursday night, where for one game you feel on top of the world.

Player of the game: Cameron Williams, St Mary’s, Soph.

To say that Williams was the best player on the floor would be an understatement. Make no doubt about it, as a sophomore right now, I’ll call my shot and say he will be a high lottery pick in the NBA Draft in the future. The potential is there as the prototypical “3-and-D” athletic wing that can do a little bit of everything and do it well.

On the night, Williams had 30 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks in an all-around dominant performance.

Whether it was getting to his spot in the mid range and pulling up, catching and shooting from the perimeter or finishing inside over smaller defenders, Williams made it look effortless as he scored more than half of St Mary’s points.