Ryan Dodds is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert High School for AZPreps365.com

The Gilbert Tigers girls basketball team had an early scare but breezed by in their season finale against rivals Highland 61-40. 

Gilbert made it 13 wins in a row to end the regular season and will likely have a top-three seed in the Open Division state championship, ending the regular season 16-2 overall, 10-0 Fiesta Region. 

The Tigers seem to have Highland’s number since the move to 6A, they are 5-1 against the Lady Hawks. 

Gilbert ran a relentless full-court press from the start and caused Highland major problems in the third quarter. 

“We play up tempo,” Gilbert coach Savannah Bix said. “We want to make people's lives really difficult on offense.”  

Gilbert senior Isabella Ivy was the focal point of the full court press’ success in the third quarter. The press led to several Highland turnovers that led to an emphatic four minute, 15-0 run headlined by Gilbert junior Aspen McClees with 12 third-quarter points to put the Tigers in firm control of the game.

The Tigers were sloppy in the first half being tied at 9 after the first quarter and trailed by one at halftime (22-21). Highland had a four-minute, 11-0 run in the second quarter that contained three consecutive 3s. 

”We just didn't come out to play and they did," Bix said. "We didn't come out with our game plan. They came out hot, it made them feel really good, and gave them a lot of confidence.“

“We let them speed us up way too much in the first half,” McClees said.

Ivy noted the team was frustrated at the slow start and they used that frustration in the second half to take control of the game.

Gilbert continued the pressure from the third into the fourth quarter with the 15-0 run ending with a 28-7 run before a streak of back-and-forth baskets to end the game.

Bix references that all it takes is a couple of big plays to give the Tigers momentum they need to win games.

“Defense wins games,” Ivy said.  

McClees would end the game with another 20-point night (24 total), making it the tenth 20-point game of her season. 

“I'm definitely trying to get at least 20 every game,” McClees said. “And it's definitely a huge confidence booster and really makes me feel like I'm playing hard.” 

“When you start doing things the right way we can just build on it one possession at a time,” Bix said.

The Tigers now have playoffs to look forward to, likely securing the No. 2 seed in the Open Division state championship. 

In last season’s Open Division state championship, Gilbert ended with the 9 seed and looked to do better than last year’s quarterfinal appearance.  

”We’ve lost some rough games, but I think we are really in a flow right now and I don't really think that a lot of people stop us when we play together when we play hard,” McClees said

For Highland, the loss sees them fall to 9-9, 4-6.