A little over a year ago, Shanielle Mallory saw a halfcourt shot miss at the buzzer as the top seeded Kellis Cougars lost in the quarterfinals at home to eventual runner up and district rival Sunrise Mountain.

One year later, the junior jumped into the arms of Coach Shanelle Balark as the Cougars celebrated a 79-53 semifinal victory on that same Glendale home court.

Top seed Kellis (28-3) dominated #4 Tucson Pueblo (24-6) in the second half to advance to the state championship for the second time in school history.

“We really talked a lot about us making sure we're in the right place and not allowing them to get us out of control. We were rushing too much in the first half and then in the second half we controlled the pace of the game and that's the biggest thing for us, letting us control the game,” Balark said. 

Although Kellis pulled away with a 26 point victory, the first half was far from the domination the scoreboard showed at the end.

Immediately, junior forward Luz Marian Santos Mas made an impact on the game. On the first possession for Kellis, she pulled in four of her 23 total rebounds on the night.  

Santos Mas passed it out to freshman guard Janelle Walker who knocked down a basket to open up the scoring. 

“Honestly, everybody counted me out, but I'm coming, and I'm going to get mine, and I'm going to also find my teammates every time,” said Walker.

However, that would be one of the few bright spots in the first half. Pueblo junior guard America Cazares made quick work of their defense in the first two quarters. 

Cazares had 21 points at halftime and gave the upset minded Warriors a 35-31 lead at halftime. Coming out of halftime she extended the Pueblo lead to 43-33 just two minutes into the second half.  

“We had to make the adjustment on Cazares. That girl is so good, she can get to the rim and finish and do her thing. I had to make the adjustment of putting someone else on her defensively that moves fast and could keep in front of her and I think that really changed the momentum for them,” Balark said.

Out of the timeout the Cougars went into their patented full-court press that forced three consecutive turnovers. Walker, Mallory and Santos Mas each had a steal and quick transition basket.

But it was junior forward Jeorgia Parks-Rodriquez who took over as the Warriors defense collapsed inside to try and contain the Cougars downhill attack. 

Parks-Rodriquez had seven of her 13 total rebounds on the night during a 21-4 run to close the third quarter that gave the Cougars a 54-47.

“They’ve been a little bit more focused on rebounding and you could see that, kids are trying to step up and do their role and play their part. Yeah it’s great that we have so many girls that are able to at least try, we have ten of them,” said Balark.

Rebounding continued to play a big role in the fourth quarter as the Warriors went through a three minute stretch in the quarter without pulling in a board. Kellis' lead ballooned to 20 points with quick transition baskets halfway into the final frame.

Walker scored the final six points of the game for Kellis at the free throw line to secure a double-double in the evening with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Five Cougars finished in double figures. Santos Mas (16 points, 23 rebounds) and Parks-Rodriquez (12 points, 13 rebounds) joined Walker with a double double. Mallory led with 17 points and added nine boards.

With defending champion and #3 seed Canyon View awaiting the Cougars on Friday and playing in their third consecutive championship game, Kellis knows they need to start strong and not ease into the contest like they did Tuesday. 

“Adjusting earlier and staying focused and under control. is key, Canyon View is a solid team and they know how to win. This isn't going to be one of those games where you come out and mess around for two quarters and then pull it out, you have to  play all four. So for us, the next few days we really want to laser focus on that,” said Balark.