Rancho Solano Prep captures 2A title over Fountain Hills

By Jacob Seliga

Lead Writer

Rancho Solano Prep captured another state championship Saturday with a win over Fountain Hills in the 2A boys basketball bracket. (Jacob Seliga/Staff)

Through the first half of the 2A Conference boys basketball championship game, it appeared as if Rancho Solano Prep was well on its way to easily winning its third state championship under head coach Aaron Trigg.

The Mustangs led 23-14 at halftime behind a lockdown defensive performance that held Fountain Hills to 5-of-17 shooting and eight turnovers. 

But behind two ferocious rallies from the Falcons that cut the deficit to four in the fourth quarter, Rancho Solano Prep had to hold on to win a game that was closer than the 53-44 final score indicated.

“Fountain Hills is a great team, and we knew they were going to make a run and that they were gonna keep fighting back so we were mentally prepared for it,” said Trigg.

Leading the way down the stretch in the closing moments, just as he had done all season, was Ethan Stokes. 

“Ethan is a great player and today he did his job and really stepped up when we needed him to,” said Trigg.

Stokes finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and three steals.

Alongside Stokes in stepping up was fellow senior Matthew Quinlan.

As the offense struggled to adjust to the game early on, Quinlan provided a stable piece as the Mustangs jumped out to a 11-3 lead after the first quarter.

“Early in the game we got really good shots, We just didn't knock them down, we just had to kind of stay the course and trust that, if we get good shots, we're gonna eventually start knocking them down,” said Trigg.

Since Trigg first took over at Rancho Solano Prep in 2013, the Mustangs have become one of the premier small school programs in the state.

In his twelve years as head coach, the Mustangs have appeared in six state championship games, the most by any 2A school in the same span.

But unlike previous tournament runs, a new quirk had taken place this season. 

For the first time, the top 16 small school teams (1A-3A) competed in the Copper Division tournament.

Rancho Solano was the No. 10 seed and made its way to the Elite Eight of the bracket before falling to No. 2 Gilbert Christian.

Similar to the Open Division for the big schools, Rancho Solano was awarded the opportunity to fall back into the 2A Conference bracket and compete for the title as the No. 5 seed, its lowest seed in a season with a championship game appearance. 

“If you're gonna see different opponents, you've got to be personal at times and be able to adapt and win in different ways,” said Trigg.

Out of the six postseason games for the Mustangs, three of the opponents Rancho Solano faced were rematches from regular season games, which included a victory over Arizona Lutheran, who it lost to in the regular season.