Look: Koa Peat, 2025 five-star forward, leads Perry (Arizona) to repeat Arizona state championship

The 6-foot-8 sophomore was dominant as the Pumas inserted themselves in conversation with the state's all-time best teams

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | Mar 7, 2023

PHOENIX — Five-star forward Koa Peat put up an imposing 35 points as Perry coasted to its second consecutive Arizona high school state championship on Saturday.

Peat added in six boards, four blocks and two steals and went 13 of 18 from the field and 9 of 12 from the free throw line to help the Pumas (30-1) win their first state championship in 2022 in Class 6A. Peat, a 6-foot-8 forward, is a top-three recruit in the country in the class of 2025 and plays alongside fellow five-star forward Cody Williams.

The AIA introduced an open division in 2022-23, pooling the top teams from the state regardless of classification, and the Pumas emerged on top once again.

Perry, ranked No. 18 in the nation in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25, is a strong candidate to be invited to the second State Champions Invite, an ESPN-televised season-culminating tournament for state champions April 6-8.

SBLive was at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix to bring you close to the action. Scroll to the top of the page for the game highlights.

Published Mar 7, 2023

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.