Round One - Sunnyslope, Millennium lives up to hype

Wednesday night was more than just a showdown between two 6A Central region foes, it was an ode to not just the state but rather the country that Arizona is in its golden era for hoops.

In front of a sold out crowd in north Phoenix, the No. 4 team in the country faced off against the No. 6 team in the country.

For many years most would’ve assumed that the valley would once again be hosting a premier out of state event such as Hoophall West.

However, this time around for the first time it was two Arizona high school programs in the national top ten squaring off in the biggest game in the history of the state.

In recent years as Arizona has risen to the top tier of states for basketball, both Millennium and Sunnyslope have helped lead the way earning national respect in the process.

So by the time the ball was tipped at 7:03 PM, it was no surprise to see a who’s who of big time names from throughout the state in attendance, most notably former Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer. As well as college coaches from Louisville, Duke, Stanford and more.

The game started off shocking, as Millennium rolled to a quick 11-0 lead behind Adan Diggs who drew two quick fouls on Vikings star Rider Portela.

The Tigers were able to extend the lead to 24-10 before the spark plug of the night came in the game.

Jaylin Ideran spent his first three seasons as an all-region point guard at Camelback.

In the biggest game of his career so far, he scored 10 first half points and blocked two crucial shots to right the ship for the Vikings and keep Sunnyslope in striking distance at halftime as Millennium had a 31-27 lead.

Right away to start the third quarter, the Vikings attacked Millennium immediately drawing DJ Spencer’s fourth foul :15 into the quarter and Trey McKinney’s third just :35 later.

That moment changed the game as immediately Rider Portela who was forced to sit a bit throughout the first half knocked down a three. The next possession his running mate Darius Wabbington who moved the ball more than normal in the first half banged a three of his own to give the Vikings a 33-31 lead two minutes into the quarter.

Wabbington and Portela proceeded to takeover the third quarter as they alternated buckets, both attacking the rims and drawing fouls as well as spotting up and shooting as they led the Vikings on a 17-4 run.

The pressure also mounted on the duo as point guard Delton Prescott left the game early in the third quarter with a hand injury before returning with it heavily wrapped midway through the fourth quarter.

With Millennium flustered, the Tigers were forced to rely on their own duo of Cameron Holmes and Diggs to guide them back as their double digit lead had become a five point deficit in the blink of an eye.

Diggs got to his spots in the mid-range and Holmes chipped in from the perimeter and inside at the basket as Millennium stole the lead back from Sunnyslope with a 15-6 run to make it 55-54 with three minutes to go.

Immediately Wabbington responded by going at McKinney drawing his fifth and final foul to take him out the game after having already fouled Spencer out of the game a few possessions previously.

As the clock winded down, Diggs had his chances twice to either take the lead or tie the game with mid-range attempts but both rimmed out.

Portela iced the game at the free throw line and once again, the Vikings defeat Millennium in a major showdown.

Unofficial Stats by Gregg Rosenberg

Millennium:

Adan Diggs 19 points, four steals

Cameron Holmes 17 points

Trey McKinney 8 points

DJ Spencer 7 points

Sunnyslope:

Rider Portela 18 points, 4 rebounds

Darius Wabbington 20 points, 14 rebounds

Jaylin Ideran 14 points

Co-Player’s of the game: Jaylin Ideran and Darius Wabbington

Photo by Gregg Rosenberg: Jaylin Ideran

Simply put, in big time games there’s always one player that most people may not expect to step up and shine. For those people tonight it was Ideran, but for those who’ve seen him play prior to his time at Sunnyslope, this was no surprise. The intensity, the effort, the ability to impact both ends of the court. This was a coming out party to the unknown but a reminder to everyone that he is a vital piece to the Vikings success.

On the flip side, Sunnyslope goes where Wabbington will take them. The leap by the star big man has been massive for the Vikings and it has shown in the win-loss column. Tonight, his physicality and ability to takeover the game against a smaller Millennium team was the difference. He had 20 points and 14 rebounds and just his presence alone deterred the Tigers on both ends of the court. He’s playing as if he’s the best player in the state this year and if Slope keeps winning there will be no doubt.