PHOENIX - Stylistically no matchup entering Thursday’s second round action of the Open Division playoffs featured two teams more different from one another than the showdown between the #26 seed Millennium Tigers and the #23 seed Sunnyslope Vikings. 

The two biggest differences in style were three point shooting and physicality. On the night, the Vikings knocked down nine three pointers as a team and crashed the glass every possession out rebounding the Tigers by four, and winning the game 63-56.

No moment exemplified the difference than with under a minute to go after the Tigers were able to cut a seven point Viking lead down to just one. A missed shot and rebound by freshman Shannon McIlroy who passed the ball to sophomore Maggie Luba in the corner who knocked down a three pointer to put Sunnyslope up 60-56 with 47 seconds to go. 

“The biggest thing we have to do is get tougher, the game in the second half came down to the inability to control the ball and keeping them off the offensive glass. We have to go back to the basics” Millennium coach Danny Soliman said. 

Following a missed shot on the offensive end of the court the Tigers went back on the defensive end attempting to force a turnover as time continued to roll off the clock. 

McIlroy went up for a contested shot and missed it, yet got her own rebound and went up for a shot that would put the game out of reach with 14 seconds to go.

With the victory, the Vikings are officially the lowest overall seed to advance to the Elite Eight in the early history of the Open Division and have won the most games in program history in more than 25 years. 

Prior to last season’s run to the open division championship game, the Tigers were winners of four consecutive 5A conference championships. With the loss Millennium will now compete in the 5A conference bracket with the ability to possibly match a mark set by only two other programs in state history (Seton Catholic, Valley Vista) with five championships in six years.

However, this may be the toughest path to a championship run the Tigers have faced during their run of dominance. The one constant from the 2021 and 2022 championship teams is UNLV signee Elli Guiney but around her is an entirely new supporting cast headlined by freshmen duo Jayda Hunt and Dashia Richardson.

“We’ve had the inconsistency of not having people in the lineup and it’s been a struggle, it’s been a battle, I’d like to see our team at full strength and with what we can do” Soliman said.  

Richardson and Hunt have had to grow into key roles to compliment Guiney as the season has gone on and their impact on both ends of the court is what helped keep the Tigers in the game on Thursday night.

Hunt finished with a two rebounds shy of a double-double pulling in eight rebounds and scoring 15 points, nine of which came in the second half.

Richardson, who is coming back from a lower back injury only had four points but defensively her impact was huge as she helped run the shooters of Sunnyslope off of the three point line which was a part of the game plan.

“We talked about closing out to the corners and not to the middle and keeping one kid inside the paint. It was in our game plan, when you have an inexperienced group that is young and you play in too many of these big games it becomes clear the inexperience is there” said Soliman.

The most experienced player on either team last night was Guiney who started off the game red hot knocking down three three pointers and finishing the first half with 14 points as the Tigers who jumped out to an early 24-13 lead were only able to take a 31-30 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, as Sunnyslope threw multiple defenders at Guiney on every possession, the offense of the Tigers stagnated allowing the Vikings to lead 57-50 with three minutes to go in the contest as they held Guiney to four points to that point in the half.

Guiney was able to drive downhill and get a quick layup at the basket to cut the lead down to five and on the next two possessions was able to get to the foul line and knock down four free throws for the Tigers final points in the contest.

Millennium will enter the 5A conference bracket as the #7 seed and will open up play at home on Feb. 22 against #10 Horizon.  

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