When a team is heavily favored in any given matchup, sometimes, the battle is against themselves more than the actual opponent.
Well, Desert Vista Girls Basketball left no doubt on Saturday afternoon, defeating Millennium 63-37 for the first-ever Arizona Girls Basketball Open Division Championship.
“These girls are committed,” Desert Vista head coach David Williams said. “They love each other. We love each other. It’s just a great opportunity for me to be a part of who they are.”
Millennium stayed in it at first thanks to disruptive defense in the paint and smooth ball movement, but Desert Vista started a full court press that turned the momentum in its favor.
At halftime, the score was 32-21.
Then, the third quarter happened.
Once DV’s shots started to drop, they were able to get out in transition and out-physical the Tigers.
DV outscored Millennium 26 to 8 in the third, breaking the game wide open.
“We knew we weren’t playing our best basketball,” Freshman phenom Jerzy Robinson said. “16 minutes to win this thing. We came back and turned it up on ’em.”
Robinson led the way with 21 points to go along with nine boards and three steals.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Robinson said. “God blessed us with this opportunity and this team…We’re proud to be able to experience this together. We all came in with a common goal to win a state championship.”
Dylan Swindle added 16 points of her own as well as four steals.
The Thunder complete an incredible 28-3 season (including playoffs) en route to that coveted ring.
.@VistaGirls are the first ever Arizona Basketball Open Division State Champions🏀🏆@Sports360AZ @JerzyRobinson @david https://t.co/peWLbstGWy pic.twitter.com/IiORl361EM
— Eliav Gabay (@eliavgabay) March 5, 2023
