Down 10 and two injured starters in the third quarter against its rival, Millennium's girls basketball coach Courtland Rojeck pulled out the Alabama card.

Rojeck gave the same speech Friday during a timeout that he delivered a week ago, referencing what Alabama coach Nick Saban did when he switched quarterbacks at halftime of the 2018 NCAA national championship game.

“You never know when you are going to get your chance,” Rojeck said. “I took a timeout and literally gave the same speech. Just a week ago I told them about the Alabama situation in practice.”

Alabama walked off victorious after an overtime touchdown pass by the quarterback who was inserted into the game.

No overtime was needed Friday during a memorable performance by two of the state's best programs.  

After the emotional setback of losing two of its stalwarts during the game, Tyonna Singleton (hip flexer) and center Alaina Diggs, Millennium rallied, attacking the basket every chance it got down the stretch during its statement 71-68 win over Valley Vista. Valley Vista defeated Millennium in last year’s 6A Conference final.

“Amoret (Maxwell), Shyann (Heredia) and Kylie (Grant), man, did they really step up and play huge minutes for us today,” Rojeck said. “Amoret as a freshman coming in and making big plays. Kylie hit some big shots and plays great defense.”

Maxwell’s three-point play with 5:35 remaining in the game pulled Millennium ahead 54-53. That basket also capped a 14-3 run by Millennium.

Sophomore Ali Zelaya (6-4 forward) was also clutch, scoring 15 points. An injury forced Zelaya to miss the first 18 games of the season.

But the player who really took control in this physical, up-tempo battle was junior Dominique Phillips. The shooting guard/wing player was aggressive, converting a couple of critical three-point plays in the second half.

Phillips had a poor outing during the 6A final last year, but she reasserted herself as a dominant force with her 27-point performance Friday in front of a sold out home crowd.

Dominique Phillips

“It was a very big point to make to the state that we were not hurt (after losing the 6A championship game),” Phillips said. “We were going to come back even stronger than we were before. It was a really big win. It stung last year, but we came back stronger.”

But this game also had another Arizona basketball star shine, Valley Vista guard Taylor Chavez.

The Oregon-bound senior scored 32 points, 14 in the third quarter. Chavez closed the second half with a steal and two baskets, including a buzzer beater, giving Valley Vista the momentum and 29-26 lead.

Chavez continued to torment Millennium in the third quarter, converting four three pointers. She had a chance to tie the game at the end but was well defended, as her shot missed the mark.

The win kept Millennium as the only undefeated team in the Southwest Section with an 18-5 overall, 6-0 section record. Valley Vista (15-6, 3-1) suffered its first power ranking loss of the season.

The two rivals will close out their regular season schedule Feb. 6, when they’ll see each other again with a lot more likely at stake. Millennium and Valley Vista were ranked No. 2 and 3 respectively in the 6A power rankings.

“I don’t think there’s a better rivalry in the state of Arizona,” Rojeck said. “We have tremendous respect for them, and I believe they have tremendous respect for us. We play them again in two weeks, and it will be the same."

Buckle up.

Millennium basketball coach Courtland Rojeck is scheduled to be interviewed between 7-9 a.m. during the Saturday morning azpreps365 radio show on 1580 The Fanatic.