With one of its best players missing most of the season to a torn meniscus, the road to a state final was an exhausting march for Valley Vista’s five ironwomen.
But senior forward Deja Strong returned for the last week of the season and the playoffs on a minutes restriction. In the 6A bracket after an Open Division loss to Gilbert Campo Verde, the #6 seed gutted out a 41-40 win at #3 Tucson Sunnyside, then a 47-45 thriller at #2 Gilbert.
It was time for some fun, and the dominant Monsoon team from the early season showed up and had a blast in Saturday’s 6A title game. Valley Vista (21-10) led the entire morning at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, leaving #4 Gilbert Highland (23-9) in the dust 69-31.
