Ross Andrews
ASU Student Journalist

Desert Vista ruins senior night at Desert Ridge, 71-52

February 2, 2018 by Ross Andrews, Arizona State University


On senior night at Desert Ridge High School, two Desert Vista seniors stole the limelight as the Thunder extended their four-game win streak with a 71-52 vistory.

The physical presence of the Thunder was felt immediately, with senior forwards Christian Anigwe and Wesley Harris gobbling up offensive rebounds leading to an early 13-2 start.

Although that lead for the Thunder never waivered, the Jaguars effective three-point shooting allowed them to narrow the lead  to 31-26 at half.

Harris put his stamp on the game in the second half.

Whether the team needed a big stop or a gym-shattering dunk, Harris was the answer. He led a reenergized Thunder squad to a 10 point lead that lasted throughout the game.

“He’s a highlight film,” Crump said. “He came up with some nice dunks and big time blocks. He’s our leader on and off the court and the guys really feed off that, they love it.”

Harris finished with a game-high 24 points, scoring most of his points around the hoop. But his offensive dominance against the Jags was the farthest thing from his mind after the game.

“It all starts on defense,” Harris said. “I’m an all-around player and I feel like every night I got to bring the energy.”

Anigwe, used his 6’8” size to tower over the Jaguars, and the two senior leaders looked more in sync than ever. Both players had several outstanding assists to each other, one including a football throw from Anigwe to Harris on a fast break.

“Oh, we’ve been playing with each other since forever,” Anigwe said. “ Me throwing lobs to him, him throwing passes back at me…it’s really easy when you’ve been playing with someone for so long.”

The Phoenix natives have been playing basketball with each other even before their high school days. Crump knows when those two are on the court, his team is going to be firing on all cylinders.

“We had a significant height advantage, so we didn’t take as many threes as we usually do. So we wanted to take advantage of that with [Anigwe and Harris],” said Crump.

What really stood out to Harris after the game, however, wasn’t the score.

“Man this has been a fun, fast season,” Harris said. “These four years have been a blur and this is the year we should put it away.”

Desert Vista moves to No. 2 in the state with a 15-3 record and eyes looking toward the playoff.

The Thunder finish up against Corona Del Sol Feb 6.