In an era where high school sports has become more professionalized, it’s rare to see a team and community carry the pride of the school into its competition. 

On March 6, the connected community of Raymond S. Kellis High gathered at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum to cheer on an even more tight knit group, its girls basketball team.

The Cougars won the 5A conference championship 52-40 over the Horizon Huskies. Their journey to the second girls basketball championship in school history has been a three year emotional rollercoaster.

Two years ago, as the No. 4 seed in the 5A bracket, the Cougars fell to region rival and eventual runner up Sunrise Mountain 56-55 following multiple missed free throws from then-sophomore Shanielle Mallory-Frias. 

And just last year, the Cougars blew a late lead in the 5A championship game to Canyon View, a 44-40 loss.

“When we lost to Sunrise, it was kind of my fault. So I was just like, next year, I'm gonna do this and that. 
Then, last year, we lost by four, and I just thought it was my fault again, and I said next year, I'm not going to take anything for granted, so we just worked hard from the beginning,” Mallory-Frias said.

Friday's game didn’t go to Mallory-Frias’ vision as the guard started the contest with two fouls in the first minute and forty seconds.

That’s where the duo of sophomore guard Janelle Walker and senior forward Luz Marian Santos Mas brought stability. 

Santos Mas and Walker combined for all nine of the Cougars first quarter points, four steals, and nine rebounds as Kellis jumped to a 9-5 lead in a defensive slugfest.

Kellis' ability to create chaos on defense has been their strong suit all season long. The Cougars held Horizon to 1-9 shooting and forced seven turnovers.

However, the second quarter saw Horizon gather itself and get to the free throw line to chip away at the deficit. The Huskies only trailed 18-17 at halftime.

The Cougars needed a break and a heart-to-heart conversation.

“We reminded them of things, that rebounding wins championships, wins games. That's the kind of momentum that they took from it. And honestly, with some of them at halftime, it was like, hey, you need to get outside of yourself and you need to be better. 
And they just went out and said you got it, yes coach,” Kellis Coach Shanielle Balark said.

No one person may represent the Kellis community quite like Balark, a 2013 graduate of the school. 2025-26 was her eighth season leading the progras. It’s been a gradual climb to the mountain top for a program that hadn’t reached these heights since the year she was a freshman.

Kellis was a very new school when it won  the 4A-II title in 2008-09.

“It means everything to me to win this because I wanted to win when I was in high school, and obviously did not, so to win it as a coach, it feels awesome,” said Balark.

Her motivation sparked a 16-2 third quarter run by the Cougars led by the trio of Mallory-Frias, Walker, and Jeorgia Parks-Rodriquez who forced multiple turnovers and scored quick transition baskets. They built their lead to 37-24 after the third quarter.

“Well, the key thing I've been saying to them for all these years is that champions weather the storms or the weather together, And even when they go on a run, you still have to be committed to doing the things you're doing, and you have to win that quarter, we can win the quarter then we’re good. Now we can go win the next one at 0-0,” Balark said.

That 0-0 mentality translated to the fourth quarter with Santos Mas who put the finishing touches on a fantastic performance with eight points and five rebounds in the final frame.

Her final stats were 18 points, 17 rebounds, and two steals which led to Santos Mas' selection as the game’s Most Valuable Player by the media.

Santos Mas looks to continue upon her success with Mallory-Frias. Both have committed to play at Scottsdale Community College following graduation in May. 

“She’s been my best friend. We've always dreamed about playing together in college and we said that was the school that belonged to us, and we're just going to work hard for those coaches and can’t wait to step in together,” Santos Mas said. 

The 2026 class will leave the program as the winningest group in school history finishing with two state championship game appearances, 96 wins, and the restoration job of what was a once elite program that had fallen on a challenging stretch. 

Kellis was 3-19 in the year before this class arrived.

“Honestly, they're tough, they can be soft at times, but they are such tough kids that they welcome the challenges and they've been pushed by me for the last three-four years that, you know, tonight it was like, hey, this is our last shot. We got to get everything we've got. We've got to do the little things, have the effort, and go out there and get the win and these seniors did that,” Balark said. 

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