Sports360AZ
By Andrew Bell
Two communities full of Tigers came together at Wells Fargo Arena on Monday night to take in two 5A State Championship Games in Tempe.
On the boys’ and girls’ side, both Gilbert and Millennium High School squared off on the hardwood. Each contest had large crowds that filled nearly the entire lower bowl and it was a raucous environment during both games.
Game One: Millennium vs. Gilbert Girls
To start things off, No. 1 Millennium knocked off No. 2 Gilbert by a final score of 66-40. In a game of big runs, Millennium hopped out to an early 16-3 lead after the first quarter. They also added a 19-6 third quarter after Gilbert had cut into the early deficit by having a big run of their own in the second.
Ultimately, rebounding and a good night from three-point land is what led to a Millennium title. After three quarters, Millennium had shot 7-15 from three, giving them a nice cushion to close out the rest of the game.
As for Gilbert, the successful season came to a close after the team made the State Championship for the first time since 1992. It marked the final game at Gilbert for the twin sisters of Haley and Hanna Cavinder, who are both signed and committed to continue their basketball careers at Fresno State next Fall.
Both senior leaders tipped their cap to Millennium after the game, and they graciously answered questions with the media for an extended amount of time, despite the loss. As for their head coach Kyle Pedersen, who has coached the twins since sixth grade, he had nothing but fond things to say about how far his team had come.
“It’s been such a fun season,” Pedersen said. “The chemistry of this team is great. I will definitely remember these girls and how well they got along and how hard they worked everyday. It was really just a fun group to coach, and there were never down days.”
