Pueblo beat Amphitheater 54-48 Friday night to advance to the 4A state playoffs scheduled to start on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The Warriors battled back from an early 7-2 deficit and ultimately built a 17-10 lead to end the first quarter but then the Panthers pushed back and cut the lead down to 24-23 at the half. That’s pretty much how the game played out with big shots falling on both sides.

Pueblo relied on the play of two freshmen in Neveah Sandoval and Sara Galindo and Amphitheater got great action out of seniors Mat’tanaya Vital and Knowledge Smith with freshman Kiara Waters also coming up big.

Galindo nailed five three-pointers in the game and she led the Warriors with 21 points and Sandoval pitched in 16. On the other side, Vital led all scorers with 25, Waters had 11 and Smith scored 9 on three bombs.

The Panthers took a couple of small leads in the third quarter and Vital scored seconds into the fourth to give her team a 39-38 edge but junior Victoria Cazares and Galindo hit back-to-back 3s and then freshman Mer'Jai Forman scored on a steal in the backcourt and Pueblo took what looked like a safe 46-39 lead with 5:27 left.

Amphitheater senior Nina Borns scored underneath and Vital hit a couple of floaters and the lead was shaved down to 46-44 with 3:03 left. Cazares and sophomore Kiara Waters traded buckets and then Galindo scored to put Pueblo up 50-46 with 58.1 seconds left. Anika Waters made a free throw and Vital made a free throw and the lead was cut down to 50-48 with 33.9 seconds left. Sandoval scored to put the Warriors up 52-48 with 18.2 seconds after the ball changed hands a couple of times in a mad scramble and then a miss by Amphitheater resulted in a breakaway score from Sandoval for the 54-48 final.

Amphitheater was ranked No. 16 in the play-in tournament and Pueblo was No. 17 and that was the only minor upset in the bracket with No. 21 Rio Rico beating No. 12 Lee Williams 42-21 in the major upset of the night. Theoretically, Rio Rico will earn the No. 16 seed in the 4A state tournament and Pueblo will be No. 15.