Valley Vista’s starting lineup includes two freshmen, a sophomore and a junior.

They are young, but Valley Vista’s all-out defensive attack tends to camouflage its lack of experience. Basha, Valley Vista’s second round Division I state opponent, prepared for Valley Vista’s full court pressure but still turned the ball over eight times in the first quarter.

That forced Basha to spent the rest of the game playing catch-up against a team that also carries a deep bench in Friday’s 55-45 road loss in Surprise. 

“I know it’s hard to believe, but we worked all day on (Valley Vista’s pressure) on (Thursday),” Basha coach Rich Meseroll said. “We just missed some easy shots that we usually make. It was nerves. The pressure. The (playoff) atmosphere. A little bit of everything.”

Six different players scored in the first period for Valley Vista, which finished with a 14-5 lead after the first eight minutes.

But as it has done all year, Basha scratched its way back into the game, beating the press with transition baskets and finding the open player in the middle of the court. Basha also hit a couple of threes from the left side.

“We battled like that all year,” said Meseroll, whose team trailed 19-17 in the second period.

But Valley Vista closed out the first half with a 13-3 run.    

In the second half, Basha cut into an 11-point lead, getting to within six points twice before Kiara Edwards and Peyton Chavez helped Valley Vista put the game away.  

Edwards, a sophomore, is tough to stop in the post, and Chavez, a senior, plays with plenty of poise.

“What stepped up was our defense,” Valley Vista coach Rachel Matakas said. “We live and die by that.”

Valley Vista, the state's No. 4 tournament seed, now moves to a big stage, Grand Canyon University, for its state quarterfinal game against No. 5 seed Millennium on Wednesday.