Desert Vista/Gilbert Notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On January 23rd, the defending Open Champions <strong>Desert Vista Thunder</strong> traveled to Gilbert to take on the <strong>Tigers of Gilbert </strong>High. The opening two quarters were a back-and-forth match, as no more than 6 points separated the two teams. Going into halftime, the Thunder had a 34-28 advantage. Some hot shooting by both teams from the perimeter kept it a one or two-possession game throughout the majority of the 2nd half. During the 2nd half of the 4th quarter, Desert Vista forced some turnovers that extended their lead. Desert Vista ended up winning the contest <strong>68-57 </strong>in a battle of two teams who should factor into the Open Division equation at the end of the season.<br><br><br><strong>Here, I take a look at some of the standouts from this game:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='205646' first='Eanae' last='Dagons'] <strong>Desert Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>E had all phases of her game working in this game. On offense, she hit shots with poise, got into the lane, and finished with ease. On defense, she was all over the place, causing havoc with her active hands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='598979' first='Aspen' last='McClees'] <strong>Gilbert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McClees was doing more than her share of the heavy lifting. She played very good post-defense on the opposing team. In addition, she scored at will from the mid-range. She displayed a nice variety of offensive moves that got her good-quality shots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='588763' first='Dylan' last='Swindle'] <strong>Desert Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Swindle quietly picked her spots when to shoot, and when she did, it was money. She has a smooth release, and she shot it well beyond the 3-point line. She had the opposing crowd shaking their heads quite often. She played her normal, excellent defense as she collected multiple steals. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='205645' first='Meisha' last='Caserio'] <strong>Gilbert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meisha started off slow, but once she got going, she was on fire. She is normally a facilitator who likes to set up her teammates. In this game, her scoring package was on display as she hit an array of shots to keep her team close. Whether they were short jumpers in the paint or deep threes, they all seemed to go in. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='780442' first='Trinity' last='Jones'] <strong>Desert Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones is another player who got going in crunch time. She did a little bit of everything along the way. She played very good defense by constantly pressuring whoever she guarded. On offense, even though she normally operates on the perimeter in this game, she did her damage from 15 feet in. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='588386' first='Caia' last='Campbell'] <strong>Gilbert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The freshman did not play like a freshman. She handled the Desert Vista defensive pressure very well, which is not easy to do. She has a good handle and knows how to use the hesitation dribble to keep the defenders off balance. She showed excellent poise in keeping herself out of double teams. Like a lot of lefties, she showed she could shoot it with ease and range. She's a top 5 freshman in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->