Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

Valley Vista never looked like it could quite hang with girls basketball rival Goodyear Millennium during Tuesday night's season finale. Until the final three minutes.

That's when the Monsoon erased an eight-point deficit thanks to its relentless trio of senior guards and a developing freshman post presence. The Tigers' night-long control evaporated as senior guard Taylor Chavez finally broke free in the last two minutes.

Chavez scored seven points in crunch time plus recorded the assist on freshman forward Marisa Davis' game-winning layup with five seconds left as Valley Vista (21-6, 9-1 region) used a 14-4 run in the final 3:18 to even the regular seasons series win the Tigers by a 64-62 score.

"I rolled (my ankle) on the outside and I knew I rolled it pretty bad. It hurt really bad but I first though I needed to get taped because I am playing this game, regardless," Chavez said. "(We) did a great job pushing the ball. When I'm not making shots, I try to do something defensively or get a rebound. Every shot I take in the game, I have visualized it in my head before the game."

Her late surge capped what was otherwise a rough night for the Oregon-bound star. Near the end of the first quarter, she rolled her ankle while fouling a Tiger and limped off the court.

She returned early in the second quarter with the Monsoon trailing 15-12 but Millennium (21-6, 9-1) threatened to put the game away early. 6-4 sophomore forward Ali Zelaya stepped out and drained a three and sophomore guard Mya Herrera added a pair of baskets and a three.

The visitors were up 29-14 midway through the second quarter and dominating the glass.

"I played post in college and I was an undersized post. So I show them a lot of the tricks of the trade," Jatakas said. "Millennium is a great school and great program. Off the court, we respect each other. I know we're outmatched but I believe in our speed. We got smashed on the boards. We kept them in the game because they killed us on the rebounds."

Senior guard Rysha Banner trained back to back treys to draw the Monsoon back within single digits. Then, behind 30-21 a minute before halftime, Valley Vista got baskets from senior wing Clarissa Rodarte, Davis and freshman Alanis Delgado to enter halftime down three.

"The two threes I hit back to back were definitely big. They brought energy from our whole team," Banner said. "Noticing that I was the mismatch on offense was really brought our team together."

Early threes by Banner and sophomore Sophie Martinez gave the home team a brief one-point lead. Zelaya, however, reasserted herself with 10 of her game-high 25 points in the third quarter.

Her shooting touch combined with the inside power of Diggs presents a matchup nightmare for the Monsoon — and most other teams. Davis is Valley Vista's only true post player, so Rodarte and Chavez had to alternate the other assignment defensively.

"Sometimes Taylor and I have to go lock down the bigs. If we need help, we know our teammates are going to double down." Rodarte said.

Led by Zelaya (25 points, seven rebounds, four blocks) the Tigers kept the lead intact. Diggs and junior forward Dominique Phillips were hampered by foul trouble and limited to single digits in scoring.

Banner and Rodarte scored early in fourth quarter to keep their team in the hunt. Then, Rodarte hit a three and Chavez took it from there.

Banner led her team with 17 points and five assists, Rodarte added 12 points and seven boards and Chavez finished with 15 points and four assists.

Davis finished the night with 12 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks. She scored three baskets during the fourth quarter comeback, serving as a 6-1 target near the hoop while the guards sucked in extra defenders.

"Marissa has had to step into a big role. We really pushed and she's trying to learn as much as we can," Matakas said. "I think she's learning what the expectation is. I think what she learned today is, 'If I put you on the floor, you're scoring. Earlier in the season she wasn't used to playing man to man defense."

A loud — and nearly full — home crowd was also integral to the comeback.

"We appreciate the support from everyone that came out tonight. When shots weren't falling they said, 'Hey you got it.'" Banner said.

Valley Vista senior guard Terrysha Banner drives around Millennium sophomore Jasmine Singleton during Tuesday's showdown in Surprise. [Elliott Glick/Special to West Valley Preps][/caption]