By Don Ketchum

Marcy Sanchez put her hands on her hips, took a deep breath and said, “Give me a minute. I’m still trying to wrap my arms around this.’’

“This’’ would be what occurred on the basketball floor in the previous 32 minutes.

It was almost as if she didn’t believe what she just saw – a 71-62 victory by her Scottsdale Chaparral girls over visiting Phoenix Pinnacle in a battle of Class 5A Desert Valley Region rivals on Friday night (Jan. 14).

It wasn’t so much that Chaparral won – it was how the Firebirds won.

Her team had struggled through much of the first half – trailing by five points at intermission.

But something got into the Firebirds and they played the second half like a different team. They scored 29 points in the third quarter – eight more than their first-half total, and added 21 more in the fourth to earn the victory.

Pinnacle had entered the game as the No. 1 team in 5A Division II power points, Chaparral No. 3. Pinnacle went home with a 14-6 record, while Chaparral improved its mark to 15-5.

Sanchez said she had a halftime chat with her players about the value of defense, “great defense. That defense wins ballgames.

“We pushed them out to the perimeter a little farther than they had been before. We were definitely more aggressive (than in the first half).

“We also did a better job of taking care of the ball on offense. Pinnacle is a very good team and any time you can get a win against them, it’s great.’’

Freshman guard Casey Rarrick scored 14 of her team-leading 18 points in the second half, and senior guard Jenna Savaya scored 11 of her 16 points. Both players had a pair of three-pointers in the second half.

Also, junior inside player Batabe Zempare did an excellent job defensively against Pinnacle four-year starting post player Aley Rohde, a 6-5 senior who scored 13. The 6-1 Zempare also scored 13. She played Rohde physical, putting her body on Rohde most of the night and often getting better position for the rebound.

Another big part of the story -- fouls and free throws.

Pinnacle was whistled for 26 fouls, twice as many as Chaparral, and shot just eight free throws on the night, making four. The Pioneers shot just two in the second half, making both. Chaparral, meanwhile, stepped to the line 32 times in the second half and made 19. The Firebirds finished the game with 22 out of 37.