The unbeaten Pima College men's basketball team and the red-hot Aztecs women's squad are headed to the national tournaments after winning region titles last week.
The Pima men will play at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament from March 16-21 in Danville, Ill.
The women's team is headed to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Hickey, N.C., from March 16-21.
The teams will find out their first opponent at the national tournament on Tuesday afternoon.
Men's basketball
Pima rolled to its third straight region tournament title with a 74-49 win over No. 3-seeded Scottsdale CC at home Saturday night.
The top-seeded Aztecs took control early, going on a 17-0 run to take a 20-2 lead. They led 37-19 at halftime.
People are also reading…
Pima (32-0) got 19 points from Mason Hunt. Isaiah Hil had 16 points, eight assists, six rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Isaac Johnson had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Over the last two regular seasons and region tournaments, Pima is 64-0 overall, including a 46-0 mark at home.
Pima's Mason Hunt shoots during the region tournament semifinal win over Glendale CC on March 5, in Tucson. Hunt had 44 points over two region tournament games for the Aztecs, who will take a 32-0 mark into the national tourney.
"I’ve never heard of anything like that,†Johnson said in a press release. "To be a part of something original … it’s big.
— In Thursday's semifinal, Pima routed No. 4 seed Glendale CC at home 108-70 after jumping to a 63-37 halftime lead. Pima hit 17 3s in the win as Hunt scored 23 of his 25 points in the first half. He hit all six of his 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. Brock Mendoza added 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
— Hill was named the ACCAC Division II Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. He's averaging 15.3 points and 7.0 assists. Johnson was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Brian Peabody was selected as the Coach of the Year for the second straight season after the Aztecs went a combined 60-0 over those two regular seasons. He has 299 wins in 14 years at Pima.
Women's basketball
No. 1-seeded Pima topped No. 2 Mesa CC 80-73 in the region championship game Friday night in Tucson.
The Aztecs (26-4), who have won 14 straight games, trailed 73-70 with 4:11 left before Pima ended the game on a 10-0 run, getting all 10 of its points from Reigne Waugh and Lucy Fisher.
Melicia Nelson had 16 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds and was named the tournament MVP.
Pima's Lucy Fisher shoots during the region semifinal win over Phoenix College on March 4. Fisher had 24 points and 13 rebounds in the 78-55 victory.
Fisher notched 20 points and nine rebounds, and Kiley Sours-Miller had 18 points and 13 rebounds.
"Mesa is probably one of the most well-respected programs in the state, and I always enjoy playing them because I know it’s going to be a dog fight,†Pima coach Todd Holthaus said in a press release.
— In Wednesday's semifinal, Fisher had 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Aztecs beat No. 4 seed Phoenix College 78-55. Fisher shot 10 of 12 from the field for Pima, which led 34-23 at halftime and 51-32 after three quarters.
— Sours-Miller was named the ACCAC Division II Player of the Year for the second time. She is averaging 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds and has 1,168 career points. Holthaus was named the ACCAC Division II Coach of the Year for the third time after winning previously in 2009 and 2016. He picked up his 400th career win in November.
Softball
No. 11-ranked Pima (19-4, 13-3) swept host Mesa CC on Saturday, winning 8-0 and 9-1.
Izabel Rodriguez was 5 for 7 on the day, as Adriana Machado (6-1) and Belen Camacho (6-2) earned the wins in the circle.
Pima hosts Glendale CC for a doubleheader at noon on Tuesday, March 10, and will also host Paradise Valley CC for a doubleheader at noon on Saturday, March 14.
Baseball
The Pima baseball team is 16-11 overall and 9-7 in the ACCAC after being swept in a doubleheader at No. 6 South Mountain on Saturday, 9-8 and 14-6.
Westin Thompson had three hits and four RBIs on the day, while Ezras Vidal was 4 for 9 with three RBIs for the No. 21 Aztecs. Aciel Guillen had three hits and four RBIs on the day.
The Aztecs were also swept in a doubleheader on Tuesday, losing 6-5 and 10-4 at home to Central Arizona.
Pima is on the road this week for a pair of doubleheaders: at Mesa CC on Tuesday, March 10, and at Paradise Valley CC on Saturday, March 14.
Home court hero: University High School's Vikram Narendran serves up big dreams
