Mesa Mtn. View girls turn tables on Chandler in quarters

February 20, 2012 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


A loss in last year's 5A-I semifinals and a defeat last month are the only losses Mesa Mountain View's girls basketball team has absorbed from an Arizona school in the last year. Both times it was Chandler High victimizing the Lady Toros.

Top-seed Mountain View bounced back in a big way Monday night by reversing a 21-point loss at home to the Wolves and eliminating No. 8 seed Chandler with a 58-49 triumph in the Division I quarterfinals at ASU's Wells Fargo Arena.

Mountain View (29-2) earned a spot in Thursday's 4:15 semifinal at Jobing.com Arena where it will face Hamilton, a winner over three-time defending champ Tolleson (5A-II), earller on Monday. Chandler, the 5A-I runner-up to St. Mary's last year, closed out its season 23-6.

Mountain View  coach Henry Bribiescas didn't try to gain his team's attention with revenge as a motive. He let them know he knew they could perform better than they did in a 77-56 loss to Chandler on Jan. 13.

"(Chandler) gave us a beating that night at home," Bribiescas said. "They played exceptionally well. I told the girls we were not the same team from that night."

What backed up Bribiescas' words were the play of his team in two tough tournaments -- the La Jolla Country Day Sweet 16 and the Nike Tournament of Champions in December. They were runner-up in the first and champ in their division in the second.

It helped Monday night  the Hawkins' sisters -- senior Arnecia and freshman Armani -- were a dynamic duo in the reversal of fortune. Arnecia, who is headed to ASU, gave fans a taste of what she might do in a Sun Devil uniform the next four years. Arnecia Hawkins scored 27 points -- 23 in the first half -- to spur  a 19-4 run just before halftime that put the Lady Toros in front to stay, 34-28, at intermission.

Arnecia Hawkins picked up her third foul late in the first half and then was charged with her fourth with 5:06 left in the third period. That sent her to the bench for nearly a full quarter, but Armani Hawkins filled the void with seven of her 16 points in that quarter. In fact, it was back-to-back, three-point plays by fellow freshman Sabrina Haines and Armani Hawkins that pushed Mountain View's tenous 38-35 advantage to 44-35 late in the third quarter.

Steady junior center Jordan Jensen, who had a quiet first half with Arnecia Hawkins lighting up the scoreboard, finished with 12 points. Jensen scored eight of those in the final period to lighten the offensive load on the Hawkins' and keep Chandler at bay.

Chandler led most of the first half behind a fast-start by senior guard Simone Westbrook. Westbrook scored 11 points in the first half, but was slowed by her third foul with three minutes left in the half. That's when Mountain View made its run to the lead.

Chandler, which used its defense and 10 3-point baskets in the 21-point rout earlier, made only two 3s on Monday night. Westbrook added seven points in the second half (all in the final period), but  too late to make a difference. Westbrook fouled out with 1:16 to play in the game. Teammate Dezirae Elias scored 13 points, the only other Chandler player in double figures.