"We've seen a few games here today and playoff games are a little bit different," Ridgeline head coach Ainsli Jenks said. "It's win or you go home and you like to think everybody plays as hard as they can all season, but it's just that little extra oomph when you're in the state championships that you know you've got to give it your all because it's everything or nothing."

This win was extra gratifying for the Riverhawks, inasmuch as the Thunder edged them in overtime in last year's 4A title game. Granted, that was a senior-heavy Desert Hills squad, while all five of Ridgeline's starters were underclassmen, but it's still fair to say the Region 11 champions were plenty motivated heading into Thursday's rematch.

"It was a lot of fun," Ridgeline guard Elise Livingston said. "Obviously not the same (Desert Hills) girls, but it means a lot because we want (a state title) really bad. We're hungry."

It was a nailbiter until the Riverhawks (23-0) went on a 13-0 run in the third quarter to extend their 30-25 advantage into a comfortable 43-25 one. Desert Hills (12-12) turned the ball over on five of six possessions during one stretch of that spurt, and Ridgeline turned all of those takeaways into buckets. The Riverhawks netted eight straight points spanning the third and fourth quarters, and their defense was once again the catalyst.

"We talked about that at halftime, just that I thought our girls were riding up on their hips a little high and we were letting them get into the key and make some easy buckets," Jenks said. "And so we adjusted a little defensively. I told them to get on that low side, keep them in front of you, and I thought the girls really answered to that, played really good team defense. We can't do it alone, right? And I thought that was really a difference maker there in the third quarter."

The Riverhawks struggled offensively in the early going, outside of standout sophomore Emilee Skinner, who accounted for 13 of her team's 15 first-quarter points. Ridgeline trailed the lion's share of the quarter, but scored the final eight points to take a 15-10 lead.

Ridgeline went ice cold from the field in the second quarter and Desert Hills responded with a 8-0 surge to take its final lead of the contest at 22-21. However, the Riverhawks bounced back immediately as they scored seven points in one minute on their way to a 30-23 halftime lead.

Livingston established herself offensively in the quarter as she came through with seven points. Livingston and Skinner teamed up for 28 of Ridgeline's 30 first-half points.

The Riverhawks were able to get more players involved offensively after halftime as eight different athletes contributed in the scoring column. Ridgeline was pretty efficient offensively as it knocked down 24 of 49 shots from the field (49.0 percent) and 12 of 16 free throws.

"I think the more people you can get involved offensively, the harder you are to guard," Jenks said. "And obviously Em and Elise were our high point girls tonight, but those other girls filled their roles and did some really, really good things offensively that helped us get that win."

Skinner finished with 27 points on 11 of 18 shooting, plus she matched Desert Hills' Ashtin Hansen was a game-high seven rebounds and chipped in with a game-best six steals. Livingston contributed with 18 points and four steals, while Hallee Smith netted seven of her nine points after halftime for the Riverhawks.

Hansen paced the Thunder in points (13) and rebounds (seven), while Hannah Heaton added eight points. Desert Hills only attempted 15 field goals in the second half and 33 in the game.

Up next for Ridgeline is a semifinal showdown against Green Canyon --- just like last year. The Riverhawks swept the regular season series with the Wolves, with the first contest being a five-point affair and the second being a blowout.

"It's a lot of fun to play them because they're really competitive in our region, but (regardless of who we play) we'll just do what we do best and keep playing with a lot of defensive intensity," Livingston said.