GILBERT β Chandler Valley Christian won its sixth state basketball title in a 57-44 victory over fifth-seeded Pusch Ridge Christian (26-5) on Saturday in the Class 3A state championship at Highland High School.
Senior guards Logan Phillips and Jalen Grijalva led the No. 2 seeded Trojans (27-5) with a game-high of 22 points and 18 points, respectively.
Pusch Ridge took control of the game in the first quarter and jumped out to a 12-7 lead behind 6-foot-10-inch senior center Lucas Elliott's dominant inside play. Elliott was the biggest factor in the game for the Lions, and finished with team-highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds. However, Elliott sat the entire second quarter after he picked up his second foul.
Valley Christian coach Greg Haagsma talked after the game about beating Pusch Ridge by containing its 6-10 center Lucas Elliott in the second half to win his sixth 3A state title. pic.twitter.com/mB4yoAeifv
— Dana Scott (@iam_DanaScott) February 24, 2019
Pusch Ridge coach Erik Michaud said benching Elliott was part of a strategy to keep him out of foul trouble.
Valley Christian quickly gained momentum in Elliott's absence. They took their first lead of the game at the 1:27 minute mark in the second quarter, sparked by Grijalva's seven consecutive points.
"The biggest thing was definitely that Lucas (Elliott) was gone," Grijalva said. "Lucas was out with two fouls, so they didn't really have as much height in the paint. Therefore, I took that advantage.and I went straight to the bucket. We all did."
Saturday's loss marked the end for Pusch Ridge, which beat 3A rival Sabino 57-47 in Friday's state semifinals. The Lions opened the playoffs with a 70-58 victory over Lakeside Blue Ridge, then beat Winslow 59-50 in the quarterfinals.
