Desert Vista High School had Tuesday’s rematch against rival Mountain Pointe circled on its calendar since its Dec.15 contest, when the Thunder fell at the hands of the Pride in an 87-85 thriller.

Coach Gino Crump knew it would be a battle from the opening tip, playing against an 18-1 Pride team that is No. 2 in the state. But this time would be different. His team would be playing at the Storm Center, in front of their home crowd, with a game plan he felt confident in. 

This time, the Thunder came to win.

“Our guys executed the game plan really well today,” said Crump after a 68-65 win. “We had quite a few defensive lapses, but on the offensive side of the ball I’m very pleased with how we did.” 

The Thunder enjoyed a lead for the majority of the game, thanks in big part to the outstanding inside presence of 6-8 senior forward Christian Anigwe, who finished the game with 11 points and five blocked shots. 

As one of the senior leaders on the team, Anigwe knew the magnitude of the rivalry game and played up to its hype. “They’re a guard heavy team and they like to drive into the paint. So I felt like my job tonight was to protect the paint and made some key blocks for my team.”

The Thunder also were bolstered by the play of senior Wesley Harris, who stepped up on the offensive side of the ball. 

“He’s truly unbelievable,” Crump said. “He’s our MVP, returning MVP. I think he’s the most athletic player in the state and that’s just what he does. I expected that kind of performance out of him tonight.” 

Harris pumped in 14 points as well as a gravity-defying alley-oop that invigorated the crowd at the Storm Center, but more importantly his team, effectively ending a slump that had seen their first half lead slip to an 48-40 deficit.

However, Mountain Pointe wasn’t ready to keel over. Its impressive full court press caused Desert Vista to make mistakes in the midcourt, leading to fast break and three-point opportunities.

With 20 seconds left in the game and down three points, Mountain Pointe senior forward Ryan Pat, drilled his fifth three-pointer of the half to tie the game. 

Crump, with his hands on his head, called a timeout and devised a play for his scorer, junior guard Tyreek Chambers. 

“It was a clear-out for [Chambers], set one high screen and that was it. Just go to work. It’s your show and this is what you do,” said Crump.

The ball was inbounded and dribbled up the court by Chambers, and when Anigwe set the screen with time dwindling, Chambers slashed to the middle. With two seconds left from the top of the key, he delivered a dagger that shook the gym to win the game 68-65.

The crowd, student section and team at the Storm Center were in instant mayhem after handing Mountain Pointe its second loss of the season.

“Oh man,” said Wesley Harris after the game. “Coach drew up a play and Ty went and executed it. Simple as that.”

The game finished with over a dozen lead changes that lived up to the hype of the rivalry. But Anigwe knows that the season is far from over.

“It feels great after this big win,” Anigwe said. “We’re going to try and ride this out the rest of the season to get where we want to go. Make sure we don’t drop anymore games and get to that championship game.”

Desert Vista hosts Gilbert High School Friday.