The Valley Vista Monsoon girls basketball program has created a modern day dynasty in Surprise. Saturday night, the Monsoon led by head coach Rachel Matakas won their fourth championship in five seasons cementing her legacy as one of the best coaches in Arizona history with a 49-41 victory over the No. 1 Hamilton Huskies in a rematch of last year’s championship game.
The Monsoon started the game out fast, jumping out to a 13-4 lead at the end of the first quarter with tough defense and multiple charges drawn on the Hamilton end of the court that backed the Huskies into a wall they hadn’t been accustomed to all season long. In the second quarter it was more of the same, as Valley Vista’s press defense forced multiple turnovers to make it a 23-14 game at halftime.
In the second half, the legend of Monsoon senior and University of Washington commit Marisa Davis-Jones grew to an even larger level. Playing with an injured knee, Davis-Jones willed her way in the second half to thwart any comeback by the Huskies, scoring 10 points and 6 rebounds in the final two quarters including a stretch of 7 straight points that put the game out of reach. She would finish with 21 points and 12 rebounds in her final game as a high school player.
When asked about what it means to go out a champion Davis-Jones had a sentimental feeling.
“I’m so grateful to have been a part of this team, we’ve worked so hard these four years. To win another ring is amazing,” she said.
Davis-Jones spoke about her next move, as a signee to play basketball for the Washington Huskies.
“I can’t wait to get to Washington and to start working for the next level, the connections I’ve made up there are special,” she said.
Head coach Rachel Matakas also looked back on the win with the same feeling as her star player.
“All of our seniors have worked hard over these past few years, they've done so much to help the program and I’m thankful for what they’ve done,” she said.
The Monsoon will lose five seniors heading into next year. But in their stretch of dominance they’ve grown used to losing multiple seniors each season. It is a testament to the leadership of the program to lose that many players each year and to return to the title game as often as they do. When asked about who to expect to step up next season Matakas spoke glowingly about one player in particular.
“Jennah Isai is a junior, she’s been injured but is a talented player. She will be one of our leaders next year and will play a big role in what we do, Matakas said.
Valley Vista hopes to continue its stretch of dominance next season as they will return five players including junior Mikaela Cooper who had 10 points and 7 rebounds in the title game.
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