The 2025 singles and doubles badminton season concluded Saturday with the Division I and II state championships at Independence High School.

Below are the results and comments from the champs. The teams will hold court on Nov. 1 during the team badminton championships at Desert Vista.  

Division II singles

Ironwood is one of the Arizona’s badminton jewels but was missing a crown. 

But Sophia Tijore finally completed the badminton trifecta (team, doubles, singles) for Ironwood after capturing the first singles title. Tijore, the No. 1 seed in the D-II tournament, defeated unseeded Abigail Daniels of Prescott 21-3, 21-7 to finish her season with a 18-1 record. 

Last year, Tijore’s sister, Sasha, clinched Ironwood’s first ever doubles championship along with partner Alyssa Ridgley. Sasha and Ridgley beat a very familiar foe for the title: Tijore and her partner Mariyah Peru-Ray. 

“I’m glad that (I played my sister in the doubles final) last year, because if I went into this year not having any previous (championship match) knowledge, I think I would have been really in my head and a lot more nervous and not make it as far as I did. There was some pressure. No one from our program had even won a singles title. It’s amazing to be the first one. It’s honestly so surreal. I don’t believe that I won, still even now after it is all over. It hasn’t sunk in.”

Division II doubles

The Scott sisters, Addie and AnnaBelle, of Chaparral didn’t team up until the doubles state tournament. 

At state, the Scotts were unseeded but unfazed. They defeated the No. 6, 3, 7 and 1 seeds en route to the D-II doubles championship. 

Addie and AnnaBelle upset previously unbeaten Annabelle Courtney and Claire Long of Prescott 21-13, 21-19 in the D-II final.

Addie: “I was really excited because obviously she’s my sister and I feel like we already have a close connection. So I feel like that really helps us and communicate really well on the court.

"We play mix, so she (AnnaBelle) stays at the front the whole time and that really works well for us. She’s just so good at smashing it when they hit it up a little too short, and her drop serves are amazing. Especially since I’m graduating, this means a lot to me."     

AnnaBelle: “We already had a lot of great communication because we know each other so well, and we just did a ton of drilling.

"Addie is so good at playing in the back (of the court). She’s always getting the smashes and they can’t hit them back. She can just hit all over and make them run." 

Division I doubles

The third different partner and time was the charm for Hamilton’s Katheryn Yi.

After two D-I doubles state runner ups, Yi teamed up with Hayley Koh for the first time to claim the D-I doubles title and complete a 20-0 campaign. The duo didn’t drop a set all year, capping their championship season with a 21-12, 21-11 victory over Perry’s Kiley O’Neil and Masie Stoten. 

Katherine: “It feels really great. In my last two years we beat the teams in the regular season but lost to them at state. So it was upsetting and sad. But now we got it. Haley is really energetic and funny. It helps because if you are not energetic and happy then you can’t play well." 

Hayley: “It meant a lot to win because I started badminton really late. I started three years ago. It’s my first state title. There’s always nerves when you play in a high pressure environment. 

“We are best friends outside of badminton. And that helps you trust your partner.”

Division I singles

Hamilton’s Nihira Sane is a high school state champ.

That accomplishment was 364 days in the making. 

“That has been her whole goal this entire year,” said Hamilton coach Lauren Rosales about Sane’s D-I singles 2025 title win. “I would say that has been her goal since the last birdie fell (in last year’s final).”

Sane lost last year’s final in three games on Oct. 26. 

On Saturday, the fleet-footed senior defeated Desert Vista’s Lian Pan 21-14, 21-9 to bring home another title. In 2019, Sane’s sister, Rujuta, won the D-I singles title as well. 

Sane: "Last year I got runner-up, which was a setback. But this year was really rewarding to finally get first. I think this year I was a lot more locked in. Last year, there was a lot more things that I was thinking about during a game. But this year I really wanted it.

“I guess we (Sane and Rujuta) will have to go against each other to find out who is best. But I’ll bet on myself.” 

Rosales: "She (Sane) puts in so many hours into training, and I’m so excited to see her achieve that. 

“I’m super proud of Kat. She’s had three different partners and her and Haley pulled it off and I’m super excited for them. Something that we kind of joked about was that they just needed to groove, especially these last couple of days we talked about groove and finesse. Get in a good groove and be exact with what you are doing.”