Preps

Kidd helps Santa Rita earn state final berth

GLENDALE - If Robert Kidd were to become bored with his role in Santa Rita's offense, it would not be difficult to blame him. The junior is part of a starting lineup that features three playmaking guards who fill up the box score each night. Kidd, meanwhile, and fellow forward Darryl Miller must follow less glamorous instructions: Set screens. Hustle. Pass first. Pass some more. Shoot later. But Thursday night at Glendale Arena, Kidd's role took on a meaning most players only dream about: Make free throws, save Santa Rita's season, and proceed to the state championship game. With his team down by 1, Kidd sank a pair of free throws with 13.6 seconds left to push Santa Rita past Phoenix Sunnyslope 51-48 in a Class 4A state tournament semifinal game. Kidd's first time alone in the spotlight likely will be the most memorable, too. "I never thought I'd be in that situation," he said. "Sometimes I really want to keep the ball to myself and do it all, but I know I have to stick to my role on the team, and that's doing the dirty work. I'm fine with that. "We all accept our roles. That's why we're so good." And that ability to understand what works, and what does not, is undoubtedly the reason why Santa Rita (25-7) will play for its first state title since winning one in 1999. The championship game will be Monday at 8 p.m. at Glendale Arena against the winner of Thursday's other semifinal between Glendale Apollo and Glendale. It is a challenge Eagles coach Jim Ferguson eagerly welcomes, but one that he and his team would have missed, were it not for late-game resiliency. Clinging to a 45-43 lead with 6:40 remaining, Santa Rita failed to score for close to 6 minutes as Sunnyslope went ahead 47-45. Even when the Vikings took a one-point lead with 16 seconds left, no one in Santa Rita's lineup showed an ounce of panic. "I've been here too long. We've all been here too long to get nervous," said Devin Stewart. "Me and Kyle, and even the rest of the team, we have a ton of experience. We were fine." That composure carried over to Kidd's heroics at the free-throw line, but it was exhibited most in Santa Rita's ability to shut down Sunnyslope's T.J. Campbell in the second half. Campbell burned the Eagles for 15 points in the first half, but a defensive adjustment at halftime changed the face of the game. Ferguson assigned Stewart to guard Campbell, and the Eagles applied overwhelming pressure on the guard. The tactic translated into zero baskets for Campbell in the second half and several of Stewart's seven steals. "Kyle Carney is a great defensive player who has been able to shut kids down all year. But when I saw Campbell just go by him a couple times, it really opened my eyes," Ferguson said. "That's why we went to our trap to get the ball out of his hands as much as we could." Stewart had a team-high 18 points, and Carney and junior guard Alex Walker combined for 25. Kidd added eight of his own to help end an improbable run for Sunnyslope (18-13).