PRESCOTT — Adi Prisciandalo scored 25 points, Vera Abt added 16 and Prescott punched its ticket to the 4A state playoffs for the first time in eight years with a 62-45 win over Coconino on Thursday night.

The Badgers (18-8, 9-2, 4A Grand Canyon) won their sixth straight game and held off the Panthers with a 24-10 run in the fourth quarter to clinch a bracket spot with a chance at the title.

“I'm so proud of these kids. You know, we're really young and inexperienced and I think we were a little nervous tonight being in a position we've never been in before.” Prescott head coach Jamey Johnson said. “But in the second half we came out and showed we can get the job done.”

Johnson, who took over the program in 2021, said the team is on “Cloud 9” with this win but is not done yet.

“[These girls] I'm very proud of what they accomplished,” Johnson said. “But that's not enough because they're really competitive. They're going to go into the next game wanting to win.”

The Badgers trailed 22-21 at halftime but outscored Coconino 41-23 in the final 16 minutes of basketball, with Prisciandalo in the thick of it with 10 points in the fourth quarter.

“She's a phenomenal shooter, but she's progressed her game and found other ways to score and overcome all the pressure that's been put on her,” Johnson said of the super sophomore. “She has a really bright future.”

Abt, also a sophomore, said the team is confident in Thursday night's results.

“We definitely went into this game feeling like, 'This is our game, we're going to win, we just have to hang in.' … Play our game,” Abt said. . “And I think we did a good job of accomplishing that by just playing our game. I'm very proud of all of us.”

For Coconino (12-13, 6-4, 4A Grand Canyon), junior Aviana Scharfenberger did everything she could to lead the club, scoring 32 points, including 13 points for the team. Man scored 14 points on three 3-pointers in the second quarter to give the Panthers a halftime lead, but it wasn't enough.

No other Panthers scored more than four points.

recent history

The Badgers last played a meaningful game in mid-February of the 2015-16 season, when they lost to Sierra Linda 53-23 after appearing in the Elite Eight.

That group won 22 games, but in the seven seasons prior to this year, Prescott finished well below .500 in each season, including 2-20 in 2021-22.

During this period, they had 50 wins and 114 losses.

But this season, Prescott has won 18 games, including 11 of the last 12 since Jan. 1. Their only drawback? The team lost 59-55 to the same Coconino club on January 23rd in Flagstaff.

next

The AIA is scheduled to announce the 4A Girls Basketball State Championship bracket on AzPreps365.com Saturday morning, with games beginning February 22nd.

The Badgers are the No. 16 seed in the state play-in round and will advance to the tournament opener.

For more information, please visit AzPreps365.com.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, college and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.