The mission for the seniors since 2020 was to win state.

“One hundred and fifty percent,” Peoria Sunrise Mountain’s Mackenzie Nielsen said.

What set the goal in motion was losing the 2020 final to Millennium.

On Friday, Sunrise Mountain’s 2022-23 squad accomplished its mission, becoming the first girls team at its campus to win a basketball crown after defeating Canyon View 52-47 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Sunrise Mountain’s experience and strength in the low post helped seize control in the early minutes.

But its offense then stalled after leading scorer, Mackenzie Nielsen, committed her third foul with 2:28 left in the first quarter. With the power forward on the bench, Canyon View, starting four freshmen, went on a 13-1 run to pull ahead 17-14.

The very young team went into halftime leading 28-23, but that's when Sunrise Mountain had a heart-to-heart chat.

“In the locker room we just kept saying that there was no way we were going to lose this game,” Nielsen said.

Dunham returned to the court at the start of the second half, but it was the other Mackenzie who helped her team regain the lead.

The state’s leader in three point conversions, Nielsen made a shot she’s been practicing since she was a kid to initiate a four-point play. After being fouled, Nielsen fell to the floor in front of her bench with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter.

“I blurred out,” said Nielsen about one of her biggest shots of her career. “I totally took my shot that I’ve been taking since I was seven years old, and it went in.”

But she wasn’t done.

Two minutes later, Nielsen made another three, handing her team its first lead (36-34) since 14-13.

Canyon View never led again after that pivotal play. Nielsen made her final three with 4:28 left to put her team up 47-42.

Three of the Sunrise Mountain's four seniors, Nielson (14 points), Dunham (13 points) and Reena Bhakta (14), were Sunrise Mountain’s leading scorers.

Seniors Mackenzie Dunham (left), Reena Bhakta (middle) and Mackenzie Nielsen led the way for Sunrise Mountain. (Jose Garcia/azpreps365)

“Honestly, winning is great,” Dunham said. “But winning with the people you started and grew with, and going through all the struggle and hard work, makes a difference when you win. It makes it all so special.”

Friday marked the first time that Sunrise Mountain (27-5) and Canyon View (23-8) met.

Canyon View made its first state title appearance in its fourth varsity season, but it may not be its last.

“We are disappointed we didn’t win the whole thing, but we are excited with where we are in our future at Canyon View,” Canyon View coach Desirae Carranza said. “We have eight freshmen and start four. And we have a bunch of tough players coming off the bench.”

One of those freshmen, Aaliyah Rogers, scored a team-high 14 points for Carranza's program. 

Canyon View lost, but its future looks bright. (Jose Garcia/azpreps365)