Valley Christian dominates Gilbert Christian in battle of 1 vs. 2
January 25, 2025 by Ben Stapley, AZPreps365
Valley Christian left no doubt Saturday night it is once again the King of 3A and perhaps a top 10 team in all of Arizona.
The Trojans traveled to rival and second ranked Gilbert Christian in front of a packed house and electric atmosphere in a rematch of last year's championship game.
But Valley Christian took care of business early, jumping out to an 8-0 lead and never looking back during a 76-52 victory in a non-region 3A contest.
Valley Christian's 1-2 punch of guard Colby Jessup and forward Carson Grier were no match for Gilbert Christian. Grier led all scorers with 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds. The 6-7 senior used his size and strength to dominate in the paint and on the glass, leading to high percentage layups and put backs. Grier also demonstrated his outside touch, connecting on an array of outside jumpers and 3-pointers.
Jessup scored 20 points and dished out eight assists. The junior hit four 3-pointers. Carson's younger brother Kyle Grier added 13 for the Trojans.
@cjessup_11 and @grier_carson are on another level. Jessup finds Grier slashing to the basket for the reverse layup and VC is running away with a 42-17 halftime lead over Gilbert Christian. Grier leads with 15 points. @vctrojans pic.twitter.com/3IfdjIo7mw
— Ben Stapley (@AZPreps365Ben) January 26, 2025
"This is always a game we get up for," Grier said afterward. "It's our rival and always our funnest game. It's fun to come play in this gym."
The Trojans led 22-12 after one quarter and blew the game open by halftime with a 42-17 lead.
Gilbert Christian (13-7) picked up its offense in the second half. Tyler Burr knocked down three 3-pointers in the third quarter to spark life into the Knights. But there was no slowing down the Valley Christian machine.
"Valley Christian is just an amazing team doing what they do best tonight," Gilbert Christian coach Jason Pasquariello said.
"When they're shooting well from outside they're almost unstoppable. They've got shooters everywhere and they're very disciplined."
@tyler_burr1 connects on his 2nd 3-pointer early in the second half for Gilbert Christian, but Valley Christian still owns a 20 point lead. @GCHSMensHoops pic.twitter.com/n2m7jyOngH
— Ben Stapley (@AZPreps365Ben) January 26, 2025
Valley Christian (18-3) is making a run at its fourth consecutive state title. This is the first year of the Copper division, which is essentially an Open division for conferences 1A-3A. The Trojans only in-state loss this season came in a close game against 6A Mesa High (71-66).
"This is my fourth year and we've got a bunch of guys that have played together for a lot of years," Grier added. "We pass the ball so well and really play well together."
Owen Fermoyle led the Knights with 16 points.
