D-I girls: Desert Vista brings the thunder beating Westview

March 1, 2014 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Desert Vista didn't start clicking until midway through the second quarter, but once it did it was curtains for upset-minded Westview.

No. 5 Desert Vista used a 39-11 advantage in the second and third quarters Saturday afternoon to crush No. 6 Westview, 53-37, in the Division I girls state championship game at Jobing.com Arena.

It was the first girls basketball title in the school's nearly two-decade history. Desert Vista was runner-up in 2004 to Highland.  Westivew finished up 26-7, but couldn't sustain the momentum of its emotional last-second win over Hamilton on Friday in the semifinals.

Desert Vista (30-2) found 6-foot-4, Cal-commit Kristine Anigwe with consistency in the second and third periods to blow the game open. Anigwe scored 11 points in the first half (nine in second period) and eight more in the third to put the game on ice. Anigwe finished with 25 points, 17 rebounds and three blocked shots. Nothing Anigwe made (11 of 15 shots) was outside of five feet save the three free throws she sank.

Senior guard Emily Wolph scored seven of her 11 points in the second period, overcoming early foul trouble to help Anigwe lead the Thunder on a huge run over two periods. Desert Vista trailed 13-4 at the 7:05 mark of the second period before Anigwe and Wolph teamed up for 16 of DV's 19 second-quarter points to start the onslaught.

The victory capped the first full season as coach for Jontar Coleman, who believed from preseasonh on his team was the one that would earn the title trophy at season's end. Coleman took over as coach midway through last season.

Westview got 13 points and seven rebounds from junior Saylair Grandon and 12 points from senior guard Renee Contreras.