Cienega's Jacelynn Smith tries to block the shot of CDO's Kala Stepter late in the second quarter of their first-round state playoff game.

Jeffry scott / arizona daily star

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The sixth-seeded Cienega Bobcats handled 11th-seeded Canyon del Oro 59-44 Tuesday in the first round of the girls 4A state tournament.

Cienega opened the game with a swarming half-court trap that forced eight turnovers in the first quarter.

"We started off really slow," said CDO point guard Wes Kimberlin. "We had way too many turnovers."

The Bobcats defense held Kimberlin to two points in the first half, including 0-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Cienega guard Clintonia Blanson led all scorers with 16 points and paced a run that left the Dorados down by as many as nine in the second quarter.

"I just came out focused," said Blanson. "I hit my free throws and got some other shots to fall."

The Bobcats finished the third quarter on an 11-4 run, and at one point forced turnovers on five straight Canyon del Oro possessions. Cienega had five players contribute to the run, including a three-pointer by Paula Clendaniel with 58 seconds left to give Cienega its largest lead of the game.

Canyon del Oro center Sydney Lewis broke a 5:20 scoring drought with a layup late in the third quarter. She led her team with 13 points and seven rebounds.

In the fourth quarter, CDO cut its deficit to seven on a Kimberlin jump shot, but Cienega was again able to maintain a lead with its success from the free-throw line.

The Bobcats were in the double bonus for the final three minutes of the game and converted 9 of 12 free throws.

The Dorados' Nicole Ruiz and Brenna Kimberlin fouled out.

The victory marked the first state playoff victory in school history for the Bobcats.

— Brett Booen

● Sahuaro 50, Marana 23: At Sahuaro, a powerful defensive effort led Sahuaro (27-3) to a home victory over Marana (13-13) in the opening round of the 4A-I state tournament.

"It was our defensive intensity that helped us tonight," Sahuaro guard Logan Hall said. "On defense, we never slow down. It has been the same thing the whole year."

Sahuaro held Marana to seven points in the first half.

"We say that if your offense isn't working, at least come out and play defense," Sahuaro coach Steve Botkin said.

But there seemed to be little wrong with the Cougars offense.

From the moment Hall sank the opening bucket, the fourth-seeded Cougars never looked back, leading by as many as 31 points in the third quarter.

"The girls came out ready to play," Botkin said.

Hall led the offensive effort for the Cougars with a game-high 22 points. Junior Rachel Saufley scored nine, and junior Jessica Davis added eight.

Junior Rosa Cano and freshman Lindsay Honea led Marana with six points each.

— Jamie M. Blanchard

● Rio Rico 56, Queen Creek 49: At Queen Creek, the 11th-seeded Hawks got off to a nice start in the state playoffs with an upset of No. 6 Queen Creek.

Rio Rico (18-11) was led by Gaby Ayon who scored 20 points and helped the Hawks overcome a eight-point halftime deficit.

Rio Rico outscored Queen Creek 17-4 in the fourth quarter to move into Friday's quarterfinal round.