The Miami Vandals kept rebounding their missed shots until they finally scored the first basket of the game.

Then the onslaught from the Phoenix Country Day Eagles began.

The Eagles kept running and scoring until they clinched their second consecutive title with a 60-30 victory Saturday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

But the resurging Vandals, who were making their first title appearance in 37 years, also deserve kudos.

They just ran into a buzzsaw that was favorite to win the 2A crown this season from the outset. And a warning for next season:

PCD isn’t done.

The skilled Olivia Owens and non-stop motor of Aila Kaibara are returning. The juniors excelled in the final, with Kaibara (19 points, 12 boards) finishing two assists shy of a triple-double and Owens scoring 28 points and hauling in nine boards.

“The coaching staff and I talked, and we knew it was going to be a hard year, because we are really young,” PCD coach Sean Newland said. “Last year we had tremendous senior leadership. Erin Patterson had the game of her life today and hit some big shots in the corner. Riley (Lloyds) and her played amazing defense. Madison Gordon also had a good game. You know about the big two (Kaibara, Owens). But those other girls stepped up in huge ways. Just makes you so proud to see them do that.”

Despite the title defeat, Miami has a lot to be proud of as well.

It finished 1-12 in 2021 during the pandemic, but since Crystal Pietila and her staff took over three seasons ago the Vandals are 62-19. Pietilla’s teams finished 23-5 this year.

No other Miami team has won that many games in the last 17 years, which is how far back maxpreps’ archives go for Miami. Like PCD, Miami likely also isn’t done winning.

The team’s top-four leading scorers, including Pietila’s daughters, Savannah and Tamia, Miami’s leading scorer during Saturday’s 2A final, Demetria Dosela, and every player except for senior Ann Mary Terrance are returning.

“I’m very proud of them,” Pietilla said. “It’s a process.

“It (title) didn’t fall in our laps. So we just have to come back and work harder and be ready for next season.”

PCD ended with a 26-3 record and will only lose two seniors, Manya Madala and Siena Rosen, off of this year’s roster.

The program has now won three titles but never a three-peat. Newland was asked after Saturday’s game if it was too early to think about next season.

He said that he will take a couple of weeks off, spend time with his family and then after spring break get back to the “grind.” But Owens is already thinking about next year’s possibilities.

“We are going to get it next year again,” the Division I product said. “Back-to-back-to-back. That’s who we are.”