Act II of the 2A Conference state championship basketball rematches are set.

If we get a repeat of last year’s final second heroics, buckle up.

There’s potential for more dramatics when the Scottsdale Christian and Rancho Solano boys and the Sedona Red Rock and Pima girls meet Saturday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Neither team lost much firepower after last year’s title runs.

Rancho Solano punched its ticket to Saturday’s finals first during Friday’s busy day of semifinal action at VMC. No signs of sluggishness were apparent during its 9 a.m. tipoff, as Rancho Solano (24-7) jumped to a 19-4 first quarter advantage against Phoenix Christian.

                 Rancho Solano celebrates its semifinal victory. Jose Garcia/azpreps365

The Scottsdale team kept pushing the pace until it ran away with a 66-44 win.

“We wanted to stay composed and disciplined in this game,” Rancho’s Michael Dienes said. “That’s the game plan we stayed with all year and knew we’d be fine.”

Despite the loss, Phoenix Christian (19-8) impressed this year.

The program made quite a turnaround after last year’s 6-12 record.

“I couldn’t be more prouder of the boys,” Phoenix Christian coach Ben Stryczek said. “Last year was a rough year. It was my first year here and didn’t do well in terms of wins and losses. But these guys bought in not just on the court but off the court. We’re believers obviously out at Phoenix Christian, and they really play for the glory of God, and they came together as a family.”

Since 2018, Rancho Solano and Scottsdale Christian have taken turns taking home the 2A’s gold ball.

Scottsdale Christian (24-4) won it last year and eked out a win against Rancho this regular season. On Friday, Scottsdale Christian avenged its regular season loss to Pima to reach the final, where it’ll go for title No. 8.

Pima settled down in the second quarter after trailing 12-2 when the first quarter ended, but Scottsdale Christian executed down the stretch to win 43-37.

“Our game plan worked in the first quarter,” Scottsdale Christian coach John Anderson said. “I think we got away from it really quickly and got a little too excited about the score. Guys started playing a bit too aggressively on defense and it opened up stuff that we shouldn’t have given them.”

Sedona Red Rock won its semifinal game 59-46 over St. John Paul II (25-1).

 Red Rock coach Kirk Westervelt and his team are headed to the 2A final for the second      consecutive year. Jose Garcia/azpreps365

Red Rock (24-1) never trailed, but it was tested defensively by a program making its first state semifinal appearance. SJP II just didn’t have an answer for Rachel Roderick.

The 6-2 center tallied 22 rebounds and 22 points.

“We’re a little bit tougher and battle tested,” Red Rock coach Kirk Westervelt said.

Westervelt’s girls will head to the 2A final with a mega chip on their shoulder.

Last year, his team lost the final after Pima converted a buzzer beater three off the glass in overtime.

Pima (28-1) did its part to reacquaint itself with Red Rock again after upending St. Johns 51-27 in its semifinal.

“We’re back in,” said Pima coach Roy Corona about reaching the final. “It’ll be against the same team, Sedona Red Rock. It’ll be fun. I’m expecting a game like last year.”

3A semifinals recap

The wait is over for Chinle.

COVID kept the girls program from playing last year. If there was rust, it didn’t show it.

Before its COVID interruption, Chinle was a perennial Final 4 contender. This season, the program clinched its first state title berth.

It did so Friday after defeating Bourgade Catholic 49-42. Bourgade Catholic’s used five threes to stay in the game in the first half, but Chinle (20-12) gained control after that.

Chinle celebrates on the court after clinching its program's first championship berth. Jose Garcia/azpreps365

Still, with 20 wins, this is might be the most successful season in Bourgade Catholic’s history.

“This is huge for our community,” Chinle’s coach four-year coach Francine McCurtain said. “We finally got over the hump of the Final 4.

“Every year I have that in mind (getting to final). This is the first time that the girls actually believed it and made sure that they came 100 percent to practice with effort and knowing that if they believe in themselves they are capable of anything.”

For the Coolidge boys, ‘Family’ is on the back of each Coolidge players’ jersey.

“They get along great with each other,” Coolidge coach Dave Glasgow said about his team.

The other thing Coolidge does well is win.

“I think we are one of the two best teams,” Glasgow said. “We beat up on big schools all summer. We are 27-2. The one power point game that we lost (Brayden) Gant didn’t play because he was sick. Our other loss was to (6A) Maricopa in overtime. We are really good.”

Glasgow’s team proved it Friday with its 67-57 semifinal win over Holbrook.

Coolidge opened the game with 19-2 lead, but Holbrook responded with a 19-4 run. It was game on after that.

Holbrook got as close as 49-46 down the stretch before Coolidge put the game away to advance to its first title game since 2002.

The Holbrook girls also rallied after trailing by double digits early in their 3A semifinal game.

Holbrook cut Alchesay’s lead to 35-34 with under three minutes remaining in the third quarter, but Alchesay then dialed up the pressure en route to a 64-37 victory.

Like Chinle, Alchesay didn't play last season due to COVID. They season, Alchesay is a state finalist. Jose Garcia/azpreps365

“The girls executed the press the right way, and when they do that they are hard to beat,” Alchesay coach Rick Sanchez said.

His team also received a boost from Alchesay’s large fan base, the best sixth man in the state, Sanchez said.

In the 3A final, Alchesay will meet region mate Chinle for the fourth time this season.

“It’s going to be a match for all-time,” Sanchez said.

It might also fill the 14,870 seat VMC.

In the final game of the 2A and 3A semifinals, Valley Christian, the favorite in 3A boys, also punched its ticket to Saturday’s championships with a 64-52 win over Fountain Hills.

Valley Christian’s veteran coach, Greg Haagsma, will be interviewed Saturday on the azpreps365 Saturday Morning Show at 9:30 a.m. on 1580 The Fanatic. He’ll recap his team’s semifinal win and help preview Saturday’s 3A championship showdown versus Coolidge.

Valley Christian fans and players celebrate Friday's semifinal victory. Jose Garcia/azpreps365

A Fountain Hills player attempts to block a shot. Jose Garcia/azpreps365