After being pushed one night earlier by familiar foe Tucson Salpointe, Shadow Mountain left no doubt of their dynasty overwhelming Deer Valley 64-38 to claim their fourth-straight 4A State Championship at Gila River Arena.
The Matadors, who never trailed, led 13-5 at the end of the first quarter. They then outscored DV 41-26 over the next two before head coach Mike Bibby emptied the bench midway through the fourth quarter as the starters hugged and enjoyed the closing moments.
Per usual, Shadow Mountain’s swarming defense turned into transition offense — for which the Skyhawks simply had no answer. The Matadors shot a higher percentage on three’s (47%) than they did two’s (44%). They registered 10 steals, while forcing 16 turnovers.
“What I tell our kids is if you work hard on defense,” Bibby said after the game. “Offensively you can do what you like. We work on it. We work on it in practice.”
It’s certainly shown over the past four years.
Senior Jaelen House, with his future Arizona State head coach sitting courtside, was simply brillant scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds to go along with five steals. Fellow starting guard Christian Allen scored 12, while Shemar Morrow added eight and seven rebounds.
Deer Valley center Brandon Savage scored a game-high 16 and blocked four shots.
After the game Bibby hinted to azcentral sports it could be his final one at his alma mater.
For now, it’s time to celebrate another state title.
The Shadow Mountain dynasty rolls on.
Eric Sorenson
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