Flowing Wells to semifinal round: Lyndsay Leikem scores 26
by Andy Morales on Feb. 20, 2013, under SportsSEMIFINAL GAME STREAMED LIVE AT AIA365.com
This may be the first semifinal appearance for Flowing Wells since 2008 but it’s not the first for senior and Indiana commit Lyndsay Leikem. The 6-1 guard/forward played in two state championship games for Phoenix St. Mary’s in 2010 and in 2011 before moving back to Tucson to play for Flowing Wells last year.
Dobson beat St. Mary’s 61-59 in 2010 but St. Mary’s went 28-2 the following year to win it all over Chandler.
Leikem moved to Flowing Wells before her junior year to play for the same school where her older twin sisters, Tristany and Kirsten Leikem, won multiple state championships before moving on to play for Rhode Island.
Coinciding with Leikem’s move to Flowing Wells in the fall of 2011, Czarina Walker (Mountain View) and Mikaela Cook (Pusch Ridge) came in and provided the extra spark – along with Shalise Fernander – that the Caballeros needed to get back to the state playoffs. (Czarina’s older sister Karina Walker also made the move in 2011 as a senior.)
Flowing Wells had won the 4A-I championship in 2008 over Marana and then they went cold until that group came in last year. Most incorrectly call that 2008 Flowing Wells team Na’Derra Carey’s (Ka’Deem Carey’s older sister) team but she was only the 6th leading scorer on that squad.
Azya Peoples and Abyee Maracigan were the true leaders of that team, with Maracigan being named the 2008 Tucson Citizen Player of the Year. Peoples and Maracigan went on to lead Pima to a national semifinal appearance and Maracigan is now a senior at Idaho State.
Cook and Walker also made playoff appearances at their prior schools so Michael Perkins has plenty of playoff experience on his bench and they will need it because Flowing Wells (6 seed) will be playing the 2nd seeded Seton Catholic team from Chandler on Thursday afternoon at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale.
In their quarterfinal game against South Mountain, Leikem scored 26, Fernander had 15, Walker 6 and Cook added 2. South Mountain led 31-30 after the third period but Flowing Wells held South Mountain to 6 points the rest of the way for the 49-37 win.
Salpointe, Nogales and Sahuaro play in the boy’s D-II quarterfinals tonight in Glendale.
GIRLS DIVISION II
QUARTERFINALS
Tuesday, February 19
6 Flowing Wells 49, 14 South Mountain 37
SEMIFINALS
Thursday, February 21
6 Flowing Wells vs. 2 Seton Catholic at Jobing.com Arena: 1:45 pm
GIRLS DIVISION IV
QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, February 21
3 Duncan vs. 6 Salome at Tim’s Toyota Center: Noon
BOYS DIVISION II
QUARTERFINALS
Wednesday, February 20
6 Salpointe vs. 3 Sierra Linda at Jobing.com Arena: 4:15 pm
7 Nogales vs. 18 Agua Fria at Jobing.com Arena: 6 pm
8 Sahuaro vs. 1 Sunnyslope at Jobing.com Arena: 7:45 pm
BOYS DIVISION IV
QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, February 21
2 Desert Christian vs. 7 Scottsdale Prep at Tim’s Toyota Center: 4:30 pm
9 Duncan vs. 1 Joy Christian at Tim’s Toyota Center: 7:30 pm
