Desert Vista boys escape Mesa Mountain View pressure, move into Division I final

Phoenix Desert Vista's length, athleticism and shot-altering king Brandon Clarke in the middle had Mesa Mountain View scrambling to find offense.

And when it did and took a brief lead in the final quarter, Desert Vista showed its toughness in a 49-41 Division I boys basketball semifinal victory Saturday night at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix.

Desert Vista (26-4) is making its first state championship appearance since it won it all in 2008. It will play the winner of Saturday's late semifinal game between top-ranked Tempe Corona del Sol and Scottsdale Chaparral on Monday night at Gila River Arena in Glendale.

Desert Vista led 5-2 after a quarter, built a 14-4 lead, and led 20-13 at the half.

But Mountain View coach Gary Ernst, in one of the more remarkable seasons for him in a long, storied career, had his team swarming Desert Vista in the second half with junior point guard Tommy Kuhse getting help on offense.

Kuhse's second 3-pointer during a 15-point, five-minute stretch that ended the third quarter gave Mountain View (23-8) its first lead of the game, 31-29.

Mountain View made the first basket to start the final quarter, and Desert Vista coach Tony Darden got together with his players.

"It came down to, 'Are we a championship team?' " Darden said. "What I told them was, 'Every championship team goes through these situations. How are you going to fight through it?' They were able to fight through it."

It took great defense and clutch shooting from Caleb Simmons and Tarik Cool to regain the lead for good a minute later.

Simmons had seven of Desert Vista's 11 points in the first five minutes of the final quarter. His 3-pointer with 3:40 left broke a 38-38 tie and gave Desert Vista a lead it would not relinquish again.

Cool's jumper with 58 seconds left gave Desert Vista a four-point cushion, and Quincy Taylor, who was limited offensively because of an injured shooting hand, clamped down on Kuhse, who drives Mountain View's offense.

Taylor trapped Kuhse on the side, forcing a turnover and Desert Vista made free throws to keep Mountain View at bay.

"Number 12 (Kuhse) was our main target," Darden said. "He is the provider in their offense. When they had that run, we were trying to take him out of the picture. We knew they were going to go to him."

Clarke had no doubt he and his teammates would close it down in the end.

"We talked so much on defense," said Clarke, a San Jose State-signee, who had another lock-down defensive effort, forcing turnovers and altering shots in the lane. "It was quickness, talking on defense, just wanting it at the end."

Photos: Boys state basketball tournaments