By Greg Perkins The Lady Wildcats had worked their way in the 1A rankings to the ninth overall prior to their road win on Friday over Ray. The victory gave them an overall record of 7-8 and should get them into the 16-team state tournament bracket which begins play on Saturday. Joseph City dropped two games to rival Mogollon earlier in the week. Playing in Heber on Tuesday they fell 57-44. The game was close at the half and within range at the end of the third, but the Mustangs outscored them by seven in the final quarter to seal the win. Hosting Mogollon on Thursday, Wildcat fans saw a game that wasn’t as close. The Mustangs held a three-point lead after the first, but outscored the Cats by 23 points over the next two periods, putting the game out of reach before ending it on the wrong side of a 62-34 outcome. The Lady Cats bounced back on Friday following a long trip to Ray. They trailed by five after the first period, and by eight at the half. After trimming two off the Bearcat lead in the third, the Wildcats outscored the host team by 10 in the final eight minutes to secure the 49-45 win. Kate Edwards led the way with 15 points. Kadence Armstrong added 13; Savannah Kinlicheenie, 7; Jessica Jesmer, 5; Abi Smith, 4; Neleigha Hutchens, 3; and Tenea Kissling added 2. If the Lady Wildcats can finish in the top eight in the final rankings, they would host a first-round state tournament game on Saturday. If they land in the bracket at ninth or lower, they will travel to face a higher seeded team on Saturday. With a first-round win, they would advance to the second round, which will be played at the site of the higher seeded team on Wednesday.