Once the post season starts - since all teams remaining are there because they belong - it becomes little things that usually dictate surviving and advancing or losing and going home.

On Wednesday night in Peoria, the 5A #2 seeded Mustangs from Sunrise Mountain had the little things on lock down, namely the Cactus Shadows offense.

Entering the game, the Falcons average 57.7 points per game and were riding a 13-game winning streak. They were also owners of a 10-point early season tournament win over Sunrise Mountain.

But this Mustangs squad showed it's officially in the zone, using a highly disciplined and suffocating defense, coupled with eye-popping free throw shooting, to coast to an easy 64-48 win over the #3 seeded Falcons.

“I kept telling them it’s the postseason. Everybody knows what everyone does on offense because of all the scouting and access to videos. It will be defense that makes the difference,” Sunrise Mountain coach Jen Tolle said. “Defense is what we really lean on and who we really are. That showed tonight.”

With its 15^th win a row, Sunrise Mountain (25-3) advances to Monday night’s 5A State Championship game at 6 pm at Arizona State University where they will do battle with powerhouse top seed and defending champ Millennium.

It is the first time the Mustangs’ have advanced past the semifinals in school history.

And 2 1/2 quarters of stifling defense paved the way.

Trailing 21-18 with 3:36 left in the second quarter after a Sabrina Lazo steal and layup for the Falcons, Sunrise Mountain went into supreme lockdown mode and the game turned on a dime.

First it was senior Terryn Demaree’s running hook shot that trimmed the Mustangs’ deficit to one at 21-20. Next, fellow senior Sydney Bickel nailed a pair of free throws with 1:57 before intermission, given the hosts their first lead of night at 22-21.

When junior guard Julie Diveney drained two more free throws just 25 seconds later, the Mustangs’ 6-0 run staked them to a 24-21 lead and more important, stole the momentum for what would be the duration of the contest.

Over a span of 11:36, from the aforementioned 21-18 Sunrise Mountain deficit, the Falcons (26-4) were outscored 23-12, including being held to just 5 points total in the third quarter.

During this stretch, the Mustangs were 10-of-12 from the free throw line as the Falcons piled up a massive amount of fouls.

For the game, Sunrise Mountain finished an astounding 34-of-41 from the charity stripe including a 17-for-20 fourth quarter, that helped keep the game out of reach. In comparison, Cactus Shadows managed just 8 freebies on 16 attempts.

“We always practice our free throws a lot and today it just transferred over to the game,” Diveney stated. The junior netted 18 points on the night, including an impressive 12-of-14 free throws.

Demaree was the game’s high scorer finishing with 19 points and 5 rebounds, while Bickel, sophomore Kelci Connolly and frosh Reena Bhakta (8 rebounds, 2 blocks) each recorded 9 points. 

Cactus Shadows was led by Ashley Watkins (9 points, 7 rebounds).

The two-year turnaround of the Sunrise Mountain program has been remarkable. The Mustangs moved up to 5A last year, having not reached the playoffs since 2008.

Tolle's team enters the state final with a 45-11 overall record and a 2019 quarterfinal appearance that set the stage for this breakthrough.

"I am very proud of how far we have come in recent years and we take great pride is being the first team in program history to play in a state championship game," Tolle stated in an email. "These accomplishments are evidence of the heart and relentless work ethic of our players. I love coaching them and watching them compete in a way that brings great joy and pride to the Mustang community. They have earned their spot Monday night, we’re not done yet."