Salpointe celebrates after winning the 4A title Thursday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Seventy years passed before Salpointe won a girls state championship in basketball. The second only took two.

The Lancers brought the 4A title back to Tucson Thursday night with a convincing, 59-49 win over Mesquite at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Salpointe led the entire game, as junior Taliyah Henderson scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the Lancers. Fellow junior Sidney Anderson, who transferred from Ironwood Ridge this season, added 16 points and three assists. Henderson and Anderson each had three steals, and both scored 12 points by halftime, when Salpointe had built a 33-16 lead.

it was the second championship in three years for coach Joe Luevano's Lancers, who beat Flagstaff in the title game two years ago. Salpointe's first boys basketball title came just four years ago. Salpointe opened in 1950.

"We came out with a mindset of just being focused and making this our goal," Anderson afterward. "We came out prepared and well scouted and fought so hard all year. I'm so proud of this team and these girls because we worked really hard and we deserved this."

Anderson had a hot hand from the outset, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers as Salpointe led 17-10. Anderson scored nine of Salpointe's 16 points in the second quarter. The Lancers defense overwhelmed Mesquite in the first half, forcing the Wildcats into pressured, off balnce shots. Mesquite connected on only five of 22 field goal attempts in the first half, as Salpointe led 33-16.

"We played with a ton of energy and we came out really strong," Henderson said of Salpointe's first half.

But Mesquite didn't go down without a battle. Forward Navae Guidry (18 points) and Kahlia Gonzales helped the Wildcats outscore Salpointe by six points in the third quarter. Early in the fourth, a Pippa Krieger layup cut the Lancers lead to nine points. But Salpointe never allowed Mesquite to make a legitimate run.

Later in the fourth quarter, Mesquite's Rebekah Udall hit a 3-pointer that brought the Wildcats within seven points (54-47), but it was too little too late. With only 1:28 remaining, Salpointe was able to secure the win at the free throw line.

"We had a bit of a letdown in the second half, but our teammates and our bench stepped up when they needed to. Our whole team came together to win this."

Alison Even added 10 points for Salpointe (27-4), all of which came in the second half.

Guidry led Mesquite (26-5) with 18 points and Kahlia Gonzales added 15. Mesquite struggled from the field for most of the game, shooting 33 percent compared to Salpointe's 57 percent. 

"It's frustrating because we shot so poorly in the first half, Mesquite coach Candice Gonzales said afterward.

"We also missed 12 layups, which is 24 points, so that hurt us alot. I think we struggled shooting in the big arena, but we have to give credit to Salpointe they're a great ballclub."

4A runner-up Mesquite battled until the end of the championship game Thursday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.