Phoenix Sierra Linda walked off its home court with a 39-36 victory and a lot of confidence after toppling 6A Conference power Valley Vista of Surprise.

“We (coaches) know they can do it, but they are going to believe more in themselves after tonight,” said Sierra Linda coach Desirae Carranza about her players.

Valley Vista, which struggled to score in the first and third quarters against Sierra Linda’s man-to-man pressure, only led once but was never out of Tuesday’s game.

Down three points, the team from Surprise had the ball in the hands of the right player, Taylor Chavez, who already hit two game-winning threes this year, near the end of the game. But Jenay Bojorquez didn’t allow Chavez to get off a shot.

The shot Valley Vista did take, a three pointer by its primary low post threat, Kiara Edwards, missed the mark as time expired. As expected, an intense game between state contenders, Valley Vista (5-2) and 5A Conference’s Sierra Linda (5-0), played out.

But it took Valley Vista a quarter to get going. Edwards and her teammates erased a 10 point Sierra Linda lead with a strong finish in the second quarter, when Edwards scored her team’s final 10-points in the quarter, including a buzzer beater just before halftime.

Chavez’s three to begin the third quarter left Sierra Linda trailing 25-24. Shortly after, Sierra Linda held its breath after Bojorquez, a San Diego State commit, went down with an apparent leg injury after colliding with Edwards.

Bojorquez sat out the next two-plus minutes, but Valley Vista failed to capitalize. When Bojorquez returned, the senior was all over the floor, making plays on each end of the court.

Her team fed off her energy, allowing Sierra Linda to retake the lead and head into the fourth quarter with a 31-25 advantage.

“She (Bojorquez) has a lot of energy and is a great basketball player,” Carranza said. “She’s our heart.”

But Valley Vista kept battling, and with 37.7 left in the game and Sierra Linda clinging to a 37-36 lead, a Valley Vista player went to the line for two free throw attempts. But she was called for a lane violation and missed the second attempt.

That was then followed by Valley Vista committing a foul on Bojorquez. The guard with a flashy game made her free throws for Sierra Linda’s final points.   

“The expectations are high,” Carranza said. “Our motto is One More. One more shot. One more deflection. We lost by one point (in last year’s state semifinals). So we are just going to take it one game at a time and give it our best shot.”