Alchesay’s eight seniors weren’t about to let the biggest game of their careers slip away. 

They’ve been together since they were freshmen, and they wanted to go out as champs. That they did, but Scottsdale Christian made Alchesay earn its 40-36 2A championship victory Saturday at Gila River Arena. 

Alchesay needed a late three by one of its seniors, steals and free throws to clinch the program’s first title since 1996. 

With under a minute remaining, Laney Lupe launched an open three, the only one she took in the game, and nailed it. That put her team up 37-34, a lead it never relinquished. 

“It felt good all the way around,”  Lupe said. "Everyone just said, 'Shoot it.” So it went up. Boom.

“Since we were freshmen, the eight seniors, we just wanted this." 

Said her coach Rick Sanchez about Lupe, "She has veins of ice. Nothing bothers her.”

Nothing also bothers Scottsdale Christian Kylie Hearn, who completed her stellar high school career by helping her program get to a title game for the first time ever. 

Hearn and Kolar Payton combined to score 33 of Scottsdale Christian’s 36 points. Payton repeatedly beat her defenders on the break and tallied 12 rebounds. 

Hearn, the state career holder for assists in a game, finished with 16 points, eight boards, seven assists and four steals in 32 minutes. 

"Honestly, we are all really happy that we got to play and go as far as we could have,” said Hearn after watching the Scottsdale Christian boys win their title game at Gila River. "I love these girls. We are so happy that the boys won and happy we got to experience this. We already made history. No other team at our school has made it this far.”

Scottsdale Christian coach Bob Fredericks also made some history Saturday. 

He coached both of his program’s basketball varsity programs to the championship game in the same season. His girls finished 26-5 in Fredericks’ first season and battled throughout Saturday’s game. 

Alchesay led 28-19 with about 5:40 left in the third quarter but didn’t score again until 4:41 remained in the final period. Scottsdale Christian used the cold spell to retake the lead (31-28).

Scottsdale Christian opened the game by scoring the first six points, but Alchesay went into halftime with a six point lead. Alchesay’s Maria Riley scored her eight points in the second period and hit a turnaround baseline jumper that charged the fans up just before halftime.

Alchesay went into halftime with a 23-17 lead after that momentum-grabbing basket. 

Eight different players scored for No. 6 seed Alchesay (26-7), led by Lupe’s 11 points, and another senior, Vercelia Martinez, pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. 

Alchesay’s bench, which outscored Scottsdale’s 22-0, also played a big role. 

"They have no quit in them,” said Sanchez about his squad. "They have no quit in them. It’s a wonderful thing for them that they reached this beautiful culminating point.”