After falling short twice to win its first girls basketball title a few years back, Millennium evened its championship game record at 2-2 on Monday night. Like last year it was in decisive fashion.

The top-seeded Tigers, the 5A preseason favorite to repeat, followed through. They proved too much for No. 2 Sunrise Mountain as they did most opponents this season in notching back-to-back crowns, 59-30, in the 5A title game at ASU's Desert Financial Arena. Millennium won the title last year 66-40 over Gilbert.

Millennium had a battle on its hands early from unheralded Sunrise Mountain. The scrappy Mustangs stayed close for the first 11 minutes. Turnovers gradually cost it and Millennium took advantage tallying 19 points off 15 turnovers in the opening half. A 15-12 deficit after the first quarter hit double figures at the 4:49 mark of the second quarter. By intermission the lead was 40-18.

"We talked all week about this being (Sunrise Mountain's) first state championship game." Millennium coach Courtland Rojeck said. "They ran the floor really well the first quarter. We were a little lackadaisical. When the second quarter started I felt our experience kicked in."

Led by seniors Ali Zelaya and Jasmine Singleton, the offensive and defensive tandem who have toiled for four varsity seasons, respectively, Millennium (26-4) capped a season that saw it lose to three out of state schools in high-level invitationals and one to 6A finalist Valley Vista.

Zelaya averaged 23 points a game in this year's four playoff games, slightly higher than her season average of 19.4. Singleton's task much of her career was shutdown defender so scoring was not on her list of importance.

Zelaya scored 14 points in the first half to go with eight rebounds and two blocks. She finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds and four blocks. Singleton picked up six steals in the first 16 minutes and handed out four assists. She finished with seven steals and five assists running the point. 

Zelaya and Singleton, headed for the college ranks at North Carolina and UNLV, respectively, this fall, have had each other's back every season.

"Getting a taste of what it's like on the big stage (2018 title game loss), it made us thirsty for more," Zelaya said.

Both cherish their roles that have made Millennium as successful a girls program of late as any in the state.

"We've been doing it for four years,"  Singleton said. "We pride ourselves on being the best duo." 

Also giving Millennium a boost in the opening half essentially delivering a KO punch was offense off the bench from junior Amoret Maxwell. Maxwell, the Tigers top three-point shooter, made her first two threes and scored eight points  She finished with 11 points. Starters Trayanna Crisp added 10 points and Kassidy Dixon nine.

Sunrise Mountain can't be too disappointed at the loss. The Mustangs recorded their best record in school history and delivered back-to-back winnning seasons for the first time since 2007 and 2008 campaigns.

Sunrise Mountain's runner-up finish capped a fourth straight season with marked improvement. (Azpreps365 photo)

Longtime coach Jennifer Tolle has seen steady progress the last four seasons with senior guard Teryn Demaree part of all four. The Mustangs have seen their win total rise each year from 9 in 2017 to 13 in 2018 to 19 in 2019 and 25 this year. Demaree finished her career quite representatively with 16 points.