Gorman’s free throws clinch crown for Valley Christian
As Anna Gorman toed the line, a million thoughts ran through her mind. She thought about the long hours in the gym with the music blaring so loud you can hear it outside. She thought Chandler Valley Christian senior teammates who had been to two state championships in the past three years and came up empty. Dribble. Swish. Breathe. Finally. On a team led by seniors, it was the junior’s pair of free throws with 8 seconds left that turned out to be the difference as No. 1-seeded Valley Christian defeated No. 2 Page 41-40 in the 3A Conference girls basketball championship Saturday at Gila River Arena.
“This was everything I worked for,” Gorman said. “Ever since I’ve been playing basketball, this means everything.”
Gorman might get most of the accolades for her icy approach to the freethrow line, but she wasn’t alone.
Like senior Bethany Wolph, who gritted through an injured knee for an entire half to finish with game-high 15 points and five steals – the last steal coming on an inbound pass that gave Valley Christian (22-0) momentum for good. Wolph had to be carried off the court with tears in her eyes, but not before snatching her own piece of nylon and taking part in a couple of pictures.
Or senior Angie Andreas, who fouled out with just three points. But it was the little things she did – finding star Megan Timmer with precision passes for easy layups, while leading the team with five assists – that made the biggest impact.
“It was a total team effort,” Valley Christian coach Scott Timmer said. “It’s been that way from the beginning.”
Early, it looked like it was going to be another heartbreaking night for Valley Christian. Page scored the first five points of the game before Valley Christian ended the first quarter with a 12-3 run. Valley Christian then took its largest lead of the game at 16-8 on Wolph’s free throws midway through the second quarter.
But Page (23-4) battled back as backto-back 3-pointers by Kaitlin Benally tied the game, but Valley Christian took a 24-21 lead into halftime when Andreas hit her own 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
“Our girls stepped up to the challenge from the beginning of the game,” Page coach Ryan Whitehorse said. “I’m so proud of each and every one of them. We gave Valley Christian a good game.”
Even when Wolph’s four-point play with 4:06 left in the third gave Valley Christian momentum and a 32-27 lead after three quarters, Page didn’t give up.
LeLisa Watson single-handedly kept Page in it scoring seven of her nine points in the fourth – including six of those on a pair of 3-pointers that turned the upset-minded crowd in Page’s favor.
“Lisa is someone that we can always rely on,” Whitehorse said. “She’s an emotional leader for our team.”