Heading into this week’s sectional tournament, the Lady Wildcats find themselves on the edge of qualifying for the state tournament. The Joseph City squad was sitting perilously in the 24th and final playoff spot in the rankings when the sectional tournament began on Tuesday. The Cats are seeded fourth in the sectional and were slated to face No. 1 Fort Thomas at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Globe. If they upset the Lady Apaches, they would see either St. Johns or Ray in the title game on Friday, Feb. 13.
The Wildcats earned two wins in their final week of the regular season.
Last Wednesday they took care of business on the road at Hayden with a 56-30 win. Krista Edwards made four three-point shots to lead her team in scoring with 16 points. Katelyn Pugh added 12; Mary Larsen and Alyssa Hutchens, 5 each; Taylor Elmer and Haley Edwards, 4 each; Lindi Gardner, 3; Sadie Tuckfield, Amanda Baldwin and Sierra Rogers, 2 each; and Allison Bushman, 1. Rogers also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Friday’s final home game of the season was also Senior Night and the Cats were led by their five seniors, Katelyn Pugh, Lindi Gardner, Krista Edwards, Taylor Elmer and Sierra Rogers. They got the job done, defeating Ray 55-48.
Pugh led the way with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five steals. Gardner added 10 points, six assists and five rebounds. Edwards finished with 10 points and seven boards. Elmer made two treys for 6 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Rogers added 6 points with five boards.
“The seniors started and they all played great,” stated Coach Eric Miller.
Joseph City compiled an overall regular season record of 17-9 and was 12-6 in power point contests.
