Girl’s Basketball: Tucson High ends season while CDO and Mountain View move to 2nd round
by Andy Morales on Feb. 13, 2013, under Sports
Tucson High finished their season with a 22-6 record. Andy Morales Photos.
Tucson High (22-6) ended one of their most successful seasons with an unexpected home loss to Mesa Mountain View (18-9) in the first round of the Division I playoffs Wednesday night.
The Badgers started out the year by winning their first 14 games in what amounted to a coming out party for standout freshman Alexis Cortez and her 15 points per game. (Cortez made somewhat of a splash by converting a 360 degree layup in her first high school game.)
The team earned high local and state-wide rankings from their 14-game win streak until they lost three of the their next four games against power teams Flowing Wells, Mountain View and Ironwood Ridge. But, despite a couple of big losses to Mesa Dobson, Tucson went on to win seven of their next nine games to help turn their season back in the right direction.
They were rewarded with a 14 seed and a home game against 19 seed Mesa Mountain View in the D-I playoffs with a good chance to move into the second round of the expanded 24-team bracket but it was not to be.
The Toros were forced to play this year without the services of 6-3 inside standout Jordan Jensen due to an ACL injury she sustained over the summer. Jensen is an Iowa State commit and she averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds a game last year.
The team also lost guard and NAU recruit Rene’ Coggins to an injury but the Toros were able to turn to two sophomores to help fill the void – Armani Hawkins is averaging 14.5 points a game and Sabrina Haines is adding 12 points an outing.
Things looked good early for Tucson after they took a 4-0 lead but Haines scored 8 points in the first quarter with two 3-pointers to give the Toros an 11-9 lead after the first period.
Tucson began to have issues with unforced turnovers and with the defense provided by 6-2 post player Mackenzie Kyle. Kyle accumulated about 8 blocked shots by game’s end and it caused Tucson to pause under the basket rather than going for the basket.
The immediate result was an 11-1 run by Mesa Mountain View to put the Toros up 20-10 with 3:17 left in the first half.
Erin-Christina Rupp scored four points and Kyli McCorkle-Olbin added another bucket and Cortez sank two free throws to close the gap back to 20-16 in less than a minute but that’s as close as the team would get the rest of the way.
Haines scored 7 more to help open up a 31-16 lead thanks to several points scored off of turnovers. In all, the Badgers recorded an unofficial 23 turnovers in the game that helped the Toros maintain a comfortable lead.
The final score of 55-40 was the result of free throws at the end of the game after the Badgers attempted to extend the game.
Haines scored 19 points, Hawkins added 16 and Cherokee Davis scored 9 for Mesa Mountain View. Junior guard Morgan Pennell scored five points in the game. Morgan’s father is none other than former University of Arizona basketball coach Russ Pennell.
Her grandfather, Dewey Pennell, chose to spend his 51st year of coaching by sitting on Mesa Mountain View’s bench as an assistant to head coach Henry Bribiescas.
Besides a stint as an assistant coach and a Sweet 16 appearance at Arizona under his son, Dewey used some of his experience coaching his son to prepare him for his first experience coaching girls and, more specifically, his grand daughter.
“This is my first time coaching girls,” said Pennell. “They are very skilled players but it was hard adjusting to athletes who can’t jump as high as boys or move as fast but it’s been an easy transition thanks to Coach Bribiescas.”
As for coaching his granddaughter?
“Like my son, I am a coach during the game and she is a player but, off the court, I am grandpa,” he added.
Like all parents or grandparents who have coached their kids, Pennell feels he may be a little to hard on her compared to other kids but he says it’s because he knows how good she can be.
Tucson was led by 13 points from Cortez, 10 from McCorkle-Olbin and 9 from Rupp.
“I feel very lucky to be able to play with these girls,” said Cortez. “This will probably go down as one of the best teams I will play with here at Tucson.”
Besides senior McCorkle-Olbin, The Badgers lose Jazmyne Redmond, Emily Ramonett and Ariana Granillo to graduation. In a classy move, first-year head coach Annette Gutierrez took the microphone and addressed the crowd after the game and thanked them for their support and recognized the players who made the season a success.
Mesa Mountain View travels to Pinnacle to take on the 3 seed on Friday in the second round.
In other D-I action, Buena was upset at home and Cienega lost on the road. The only D-I team to advance was Mountain View with a 64-39 blowout over Cibola. Things get very difficult for the Mountain Lions because they will have to travel to 4 seed Hamilton on Friday night.
Pusch Ridge and Sabino lost in D-II action but Canyon del Oro won at home over Fairfax. The Dorados will travel to Thunderbird on Friday.
Thatcher and Benson fell in D-III play.
On the boy’s side, Rio Rico outlasted Safford 60-56 in the weather-delayed game. A full-slate of D-I and D-II boy’s games will take place on Thursday night.
GIRLS DIVISION I
Wednesday, February 13
24 Chaparral 47, 9 Buena 42
12 Mountain View 64, 21 Cibola 39
19 Mesa Mountain 55, 14 Tucson High 40
10 Tolleson 53, 23 Cienega 35
Friday, February 15: 7 pm
12 Mountain View at 5 Hamilton
GIRLS DIVISION II
Wednesday, February 13
13 CDO 47, 20 Fairfax 40
14 South Mountain 54, 19 Pusch Ridge 41
11 Arcadia 47, 22 Sabino 36
Friday, February 15: 7 pm
6 Flowing Wells hosts 11 Arcadia
7 Sahuaro hosts 10 Campo Verde
13 CDO at 4 Thunderbird
GIRLS DIVISION III
Wednesday, February 13
23 Gilbert Christian 50, 10 Thatcher 44
15 Buckeye 48, 18 Benson 27
Saturday, February 16
8 Safford vs. 9 Many Farms at NAU, 9 am
GIRLS DIVISION IV
Friday, February 15
3 Duncan, BYE
7 Desert Christian, BYE
8 St. Gregory, BYE
15 St. David vs. 18 St. Michael, Tim’s Toyota: 6 pm
16 Valley Union vs. 17 Red Mesa, Tim’s Toyota: 4:30 pm
19 San Miguel vs. 14 Phoenix Christian, Tim’s Toyota: 10:30 am
20 Immaculate Heart vs. 13 Pima, Bradshaw Mountain: 3 pm
22 Green Fields vs. 11 Joy Christian, Prescott HS: 1:30 pm
Saturday, February 16
3 Duncan vs. 19 San Miguel/14 Phoenix Christian winner
7 Desert Christian vs. 10 AZ Lutheran/23 Yuma Catholic winner
8 St. Gregory vs. 9 Rock Point/24 Mesa Prep winner
BOYS DIVISION I
Thursday, February 14: 7 pm
19 Cienega at 14 Westview
21 Buena at 12 Deer Valley
24 Sunnyside at 9 Brophy Prep
BOYS DIVISION II
Thursday, February 14: 7 pm
2 Catalina Foothills, BYE
6 Salpointe, BYE
7 Nogales, BYE
8 Sahuaro, BYE
13 Cholla hosts 20 Coconino
19 Amphi at 14 Copper Canyon
21 CDO at 12 Desert Edge
Saturday, February 16: 7 pm
2 Catalina Foothills hosts 15 Kellis/18 Agua Fria winner
6 Salpointe hosts 11 Greenway/22 Queen Creek winner
7 Nogales hosts 10 Poston Butte/23 Prescott winner
8 Sahuaro hosts 9 Saguaro/24 Flagstaff winner
BOYS DIVISION III
Tuesday, February 12
11 Thatcher 70, 22 Empire 54
16 Show Low 64, 17 Benson 60
Wednesday, February 13
15 Rio Rico 60, 18 Safford 56
Friday, February 15
11 Thatcher vs. 6 Estrella Foothills at NAU: Noon
15 Rio Rico vs. 2 Gilbert Christina at NAU: 6 pm
BOYS DIVISION IV
Friday, February 15
2 Desert Christian, BYE
9 Duncan vs. 24 Phoenix Country Day at Prescott HS: 7:30 pm
10 St. Gregory vs. 23 Arizona Charter at Tim’s Toyota: 3 pm
12 St. David vs, 21 Bagdad at Tim’s Toyota: 7:30 pm
15 San Miguel vs. 18 Red Mesa at Tim’s Toyota: Noon
Saturday, February 16
2 Desert Christian vs. 15 San Miguel/18 Red Mesa winner
