Shadow Hills stifles Xavier Prep, in full control of DEL
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Two years ago, the Shadow Hills and Xavier Prep girls’ basketball teams finished as co-league champs with identical 9-1 records having split their two head-to-head games. Last year, ditto: co-league champs both with 9-1 Desert Empire League records.
On Thursday night, the Knights’ swarming defense made sure that this year there would be no “co.” Shadow Hills stifled the Saints in the first half at Xavier Prep on Thursday and rolled to an impressive 64-43 victory.
It was a surprisingly lopsided outcome for a rivalry that in recent years has seen every game come down to the wire, including a 56-54 win for the Knights over the Saints at Shadow Hills on Jan. 9.
The win moves Shadow Hills to 8-0 in Desert Empire League play and clinches at least a share of the title with two games left. They’ll just need a win over either Palm Desert or Rancho Mirage next week, teams they have already beaten in lopsided fashion this year, to officially secure the outright title they’ve been coveting. It will be the first in program history. Xavier Prep drops to 6-2.
“This is really big for us. Obviously this is one we’ve been wanting,” said Shadow Hills senior Victoria Hyatt who had a game-high 18 points. “This is what all the hard work we put in over the summer and during practice was all about, and I’m glad we were able to finish what we were working for.”
And what did the trick for the Knights on this night was a fantastic defensive game plan and execution. Coach Timothy Britton played an aggressive trapping defense, something different than he used in that tight first contest, and it took a while for the Saints to adjust. By the time they did, it was too late.
Every Xavier Prep ball-handler who got the ball on the perimeter was immediately double-teamed and the nearest available teammate was also guarded closely, making it difficult for Xavier Prep to get into any sense of an offense or even complete a pass. Xavier Prep had more turnovers than baskets as the athletic, cohesive, always-moving Knights defense seemed to be everywhere.
“When two teams know each other the way these teams do, the game is about adjustments, and the idea was to give them a different look than the first game,” Britton said. “They’ve got a great coach over there, and the idea was to apply pressure and make them sort of shoot their way out of it. It was a percentage play and it worked for us tonight.”
When the Saints were able to break through that pressure, they did find some open 3-point shots in the first half, but they just weren’t falling.
The Knights also benefitted from a balanced scoring attack from the outset as all five starters scored in the first quarter.
Hyatt and freshman Analiah Cardona, who had 13 points, came through with their expected offense, but the Knights also had a 13-point night from freshman Ava Hyatt (Victoria’s sister), eight more from freshman Skylah Archer and seven from senior Mia Gonzalez.
The other key to the game was the impressive team defensive effort in slowing down Xavier Prep star Amoree Ferrel.
In the first game, Ferrel went off. She scored 29 points and made six 3-pointers. The Knights were determined not to let that happen on this night. Every time she touched the ball, two players went after her. Smartly, she got rid of the ball and deferred to her teammates for much of the first half, but the Knights were able to recover and prevent any easy baskets.
Ferrel scored the first basket of the game but didn’t score again until there were 2 minutes left in the third quarter. By that point the Knights had a 20-point lead and the game was no longer in doubt. Ferrel did get it going, finishing with 16 points, but nothing came easy.
“She’s a star, there’s no doubt, and she’s always on our minds whenever she’s on the court,” Britton said of Ferrel. “She’s a phenomenal talent and we made a concerted effort to know where she was at all times and try to make it as difficult as possible on her. I thought we did an excellent job collectively of that tonight.”
The moment
Late in the first half, the Knights had 21-11 lead, but then a flurry allowed them to grow the lead even more. Twice in a row, that pressure defense led to a steal and a perfectly executed 2-on-1 break. The first time it was Archer finishing with a layup and the second time it was Victoria Hyatt. She connected on a tough dribble-drive to the basket, was fouled and made the free throw. A quick 7-0 run in about 30 seconds moved the score from a 10-point game to a 17-point game and was never really in doubt the rest of the way.
The stars
Victoria Hyatt, Shadow Hills: Hyatt embodied that old John Wooden line “Play fast, but don’t hurry.” Always in control, the senior had a well-balanced game, scoring when necessary, distributing when necessary, never in a hurry. She finished with a game-high 18 points.
Ava Hyatt, Shadow Hills: Only a freshman, Hyatt played one of her best games of the season. She averages just 3.3 points per game, but she racked up 13 points with a ton of hustle plays, she was the first to a ton of loose balls and she played tough on-the-ball defense.
Analiah Cardona, Shadow Hills: Also a freshman, but with the poise of a veteran. Cardona finished with 13 points including 10 in the second half. As Xavier Prep cranked up the pressure in the second half, Cardona was secure and confident handling the ball.
Amoree Ferrel, Xavier Prep: Constantly double-teamed throughout the game, Ferrel still managed to secure a team-best 16 points. She scored late with physical drives to the lane and tough rebounds.
Skylah Archer, Shadow Hills: Archer had a nice game in the paint finishing with eight points and not allowing any easy ones near the basket defensively.
Mia Gonzalez, Shadow Hills: The senior played her heart out in this one, hustle plays, defensive effort, rebounds and she finished with seven points, including two important baskets in the second half that stopped Xavier Prep spurts.
Emma Thomsen, Xavier Prep: Saints freshman Emma Thomsen came off the bench and gave Xavier Prep a lift. She finished with seven points including a second-quarter 3-pointer that ended a Saints offensive drought.
The chatter
Victoria Hyatt on the team’s firsthalf blitz that led to a 28-14 halftime lead: “It felt like we had good energy right from the tip. We wanted to come out fast and we definitely did that.”
Britton on getting contributions up and down the lineup: “It comes with experience and particularly in games like this that builds character. It’s exciting to see the balanced attack and we feel like we have a deep bench, too.”
Britton on the crucial W: “It’s huge obviously to establish ourselves as the sole winner and obviously we have to finish it out still, we respect all the teams in our league, but it’s huge for our girls to get this one, huge for the seniors and huge for the program.”
What’s next
Shadow Hills (21-4, 8-0) is ranked No. 5 in the Division 2A poll and will step out of conference on Monday to host Riverside Poly before finishing the regular season at home on Tuesday against Palm Desert and Thursday at home against Rancho Mirage.
Xavier Prep (20-6, 6-2) is ranked No. 15 in the Division 2A poll and will finish the regular season at Palm Springs on Tuesday and home against La Quinta on Thursday.
Shad Powers is the sports columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.