Getting caught up in the wave of excitement was expected when the state’s top boys basketball teams, Tempe Corona del Sol and Phoenix Desert Vista boys, met for the first time this season.

But Corona del Sol didn’t allow itself to get drowned out by the noise or Desert Vista. Corona del Sol left Tuesday’s home game likely feeling the same way it did before the game — that it’s without a doubt the Division I favorite this season.

It’s up for debate whether Desert Vista is closing the gap, but it did prove during the 71-55 loss that it’s capable of sticking with Corona. Desert Vista trailed by only five points with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

But guarding Corona del Sol’s threats, beginning with the fundamentally sound Alex Barcello, is a chore. Barcello scored a game-high 31 points on a night that Corona del Sol’s big man, freshman sensation Marvin Bagley III, got into foul trouble.

But Corona del Sol's Dane Kuiper (16 points) and Tyrell Henderson (17 points) stepped up, including when Desert Vista’s defense shifted its focus toward Barcello.

“They (Corona del Sol) are a good team, so as with any good team there are some times when you just have to fight through some things,” Desert Vista's first-year coach Tony Darden said.

Desert Vista grabbed its only lead after sophomore Caleb Simmons made two free throws to go up 18-16 in the second quarter, but Corona (21-1) then went on a 11-0 run. Corona led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but Desert Vista (20-2) didn’t go away.

Simmons led his team with 20 points.

“They (Desert Vista) are a great team,” said Corona’s Henderson, whose team hasn’t lost to an Arizona squad in almost two years. “They are well coached, play together and are an up tempo team. It was a fun game.

"We just worry about us and play as a team. Stay even keel is what coach (Sam Duane) said before the game. And if we hit lows, fight through them and keep playing.”