Desert Vista sophomore Desean Lecque, younger brother of Phoenix Suns player Jalen Lecque, has proven he can be a dominant force in the AIA 6A conference. Heading into the championship game against the Mesa Jackrabbits, he was averaging 24 points per game.

The Desert Vista Thunder started off their season 4-0 with wins against Seton Catholic, Casteel, Hamilton and now Mesa, making them Fear the Hop Tournament champions.

The Desert Vista Thunder traveled to Mesa’s home court and got the best of them, winning 83-56.

“I think we did really well being unselfish and sharing the ball,” Lecque said. “I found my rhythm early on and stuck with it through the entire game.”

Heading into the game, the Mesa Jackrabbits had a record of 3-0, coming off wins against Saguaro, Seton Catholic and Desert Mountain, but were then stunned by Desert Vista.

The Thunder got off to a lead early and did not let up, having command of the entire game behind their sophomore star.

Lecque added 23 points on 11 field goal attempts with an efficient 73% shooting from the field, while gathering four rebounds and five assists.

Alongside Lecque, senior 6-foot-10 center and Marquette commit Osasere “Oso” Ighodaro contributed 16 points and seven rebounds.

“We fought hard tonight and played fast,” Ighodaro said. "It will be hard for teams to keep up with our size and athleticism."

Pace was a huge part of the game that Desert Vista has been practicing day in and day out.

“I thought we pushed the ball really well when we needed to on fast breaks and were able to set up and run our plays when it came down to it,” Ighodaro said.

Efficiency is what got it done for the Thunder. Desert Vista shot 57% from the field, while Mesa struggled and had a low of 34% from the field. Both teams had 12 turnovers.

“We would have liked to be more secure with the ball on offense, but our defense made up for it in the end,” sophomore Tayan Thompson said.