Desert Vista routs Dobson in Arizona girls basketball playoffs
The Desert Vista girls' basketball team is on a roll at the right time.
The defending Open Division champions, this year's No. 4 seed, routed No. 13 Dobson at home Thursday night, 57-26 behind a dominant performance from senior point guard Shay Ijiwoye in a second-round Open playoff game.
From start to finish, Desert Vista had the game under control, with their passing, playmaking and Ijiwoye's leadership the difference. In the two Open playoff games so far, Desert Vista has outscored opponents, 131-53.
"Every week, there's a change in game plan when considering the other team," said Thunder head coach Erin O'Bryan. "That's the nice thing about our team, we're so diverse so depending on who we play is how we are going to show up, play our best and meet our potential."
On Thursday, Desert Vista, No. 2 in The Arizona Republic's Super 10, rolled in the opening quarter and never looked back. Ijiwoye scored 17 of the Thunder's 24 points in the quarter. She finished with 20 in the first half, which was her total for the game. The Thunder defense didn't allow the Mustangs to score until three minutes were left in the first quarter, when Dobson's sophomore Aliana Garcia hit a pair of free throws, the only Mustang points in the quarter.
Desert Vista entered halftime leading, 40-11. The Mustangs went on a 7-0 run to start the third quarter, but never got close.
The win was the Thunder's 16th straight, according to the AIA. They lost three games during the regular season, but the last one came on Dec. 2, to Sierra Canyon (California). Their only loss to an Arizona team came against Xavier, the No. 2 Open seed, on Nov. 28. Xavier, which also advanced Thursday, and Desert Vista are on opposite sides of the Open bracket, which means they could meet again in the final.
O'Bryan praised Ijiwoye, a Stanford commit, for her talent and senior leadership. She was a key member of the Thunder's 2023 championship team and is widely considered one of the top players in the state.
"She leads us in everything, every statistical category," said O'Bryan. "They could try to take her away, but what makes this team so special is how we are able to build around every situation. Shay is special and unique, we go where she goes."
Ijiwoye praised her teammates and made clear their goal is to repeat.
"It means a lot, even though we have a target on our back," said Ijiwoye. "We got a taste of what it feels like to win, and we want to keep doing that. We want to go back-to-back and for me and the five seniors on this squad, we want to close out our high school career with a championship."
Desert Vista will host No. 5-seed Seton Catholic, which ended the regular season ranked No. 2 in 4A, next Thursday in the Open quarterfinals. Seton defeated Sunrise Mountain, 54-22 on Thursday.
Dobson's season isn't over. The Mustangs will fall back into the 6A conference playoff tournament. Under AIA rules, teams knocked out of the first and second rounds of the Open return to conference tournaments that begin next Thursday in 4A, 5A and 6A.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Desert Vista defeats Dobson To advance To Open Division quarterfinal
