Pinnacle shocks with win over Perry, No. 1 rating in AIA's first Open boys basketball list
Phoenix Pinnacle wasn't a blip on the radar until Tuesday night.
After beating nationally ranked Gilbert Perry 65-63 on the strength of Bryce Ford's 38 points, not only are the Pioneers now the talk of Arizona high school basketball, but it landed them with the No. 1 ranking in the AIA's initial Open Division boys basketball rankings.
Those rankings were released by the Arizona Interscholastic Association on Thursday.
Perry is No. 2 by the AIA in the Open, followed by Chandler Basha, the only overall undefeated team left in 6A.
The next three spots are filled by 5A and 4A teams, respectively, Gilbert Campo Verde (5A), Tucson Sahuaro (4A) and Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep (5A). At No. 7 is Peoria Liberty, which travels to play Pinnacle on Friday night for B-Inspired Night, a game in which the teams are honoring former Pinnacle team manager Brandon Wechsler, who died in late November at age 28.
Sahuaro handed American Leadership Gilbert North its only loss this season. ALA GN is ranked 16th in the Open by the AIA.
The AIA this year expanded the state basketball playoffs with an Open Division for the three large conferences (6A, 5A and 4A). But this won't be like football, where only the top eight teams are selected. The Open will feature 32 teams to start the tournament. The teams that lose in the first two rounds then fall into their respective conference tournaments.
Only four 6A teams are part of the top 10 in the Open as ranked by the AIA, using its computerized input.
Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain (No. 7), Glendale Cactus (No. 8) and Peoria (No. 10) are both 4A teams.
Eleven of the top 32 teams rated in the AIA's Open are from 6A. Twelve are from 5A, and nine are from 4A.
The regular season ends on Feb. 3. After that, the AIA reveals the 32 teams for the Open Division. The first two rounds are the week of Feb. 6 and finish Feb. 10. On Saturday, Feb. 11, conference seedings are revealed by the AIA with those who lost in the first two rounds of the Open being seeded in the respective conference tournaments. That leaves the Open 8 after reseeding.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pinnacle shocks with win over Perry, No. 1 rating in AIA's Open list
