#11 Sunrise Mountain/ #2 Millennium – 5A Semifinal

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On March 1st the <strong>Sunrise Mountain Mustangs</strong> traveled to Goodyear to take on the <strong>Millennium Tigers</strong> in a 5A Semifinal game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the start of the game Millennium came out very aggressive on offense and defense. On defense they applied pressure on the ball and trapped every opportunity they could. The Tigers jumped out to a 11-0 lead. In an effort to slow down the Tigers the Mustangs went to a zone. Sunrise Mountain began to get settled offensively and went on a run of their own. A 15-1 run by the Mustangs got them a 15-12 lead after the first period.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sunrise Mountain, behind some hot perimeter shooting, extended the lead to 29-20. After some defensive adjustments Millennium cut the lead down to 31-28 at halftime. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the third quarter Millennium went on another run. This time it was 12-3 giving them a 40-34 lead. After trading baskets the quarter ended with the Tigers up 44-40. The fourth quarter had the Tigers getting a lead as big as 58-51 but the Mustangs would not give up. A steal and timeout with 34 seconds left gave Sunrise Mountain one last chance to tie and send the game to overtime but they came up short. Millennium advances to the 5A State Championship game with a <strong>60-57</strong> win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Here are some of the standout players from this game.</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1301344' first='Kingston' last='Tosi']<strong> Millennium</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tosi was unguardable as he didn't miss a single shot the entire game. He hit a variety of shots including face up jumpers and going by the defenders for layups with ease. He has a very nice touch that extends out to the three point line and causes mismatch problems.<br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1829170' first='Nick' last='Nally'] <strong>Sunrise Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior guard carried the Mustangs in the 1st half. He hit shots with range and got to the cup numerous times. He's a smart and crafty guard who adjusts his offensive game to what the defense is giving him. Early on they gave him deep jumpers and he kept knocking them down. He also has very good vision as a passer. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1150822' first='Cameron' last='Holmes'] <strong>Millennium</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holmes shot it with range and ran the floor very well. His defensive presence in the game was a major key in the win. Him switching to guard the hot hand slowed down the oppositions momentum. He was good lateral foot speed and extreme length. This made it very difficult to get good shots off against him. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='937187' first='Carter' last='Gittens'] <strong>Sunrise Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gittens did what he could to help his team win. On offense he was an extremely tough cover because he has a very quick first step and once he went by the defender he finished above the rim. He also hit multiple one or two dribble pull up jumpers. Whatever college gets Carter will be getting a underrated prospect whose best basketball is still ahead of him. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1150844' first='Quincy' last='Everson'] <strong>Millennium</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everson ran the show steadily for the Tigers while also drawing the toughest defensive assignment. On offense he limited the turnovers while getting his teammates quality looks throughout the game. When the opportunity came for Quincy to get his shots he was ready knocking down multiple three pointers. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='937183' first='Dalton' last='Graham'] <strong>Sunrise Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior forward stayed active on offense especially by hitting the boards for the Mustangs. Graham offensive rebounding gave Sunrise Mountain additional possessions despite him being in foul trouble. He wasn't flashy but did show good instincts and court awareness. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->