The Lady Wildcats were the only 1A school to earn a bid into the Copper Tournament in the inaugural season of the 1A-3A Open Tournament.
Joseph City finished the regular season as the top-ranked 1A team and entered the Copper bracket as the overall No. 11 on Tuesday night. They faced No. 6 Show Low in the first-round game and came up eight points short of an upset of the strong 3A team. The Cougars prevailed 41-33.
While traditionally one post-season loss would end your season, under this year’s format, the Wildcats now return to the 1A bracket where they are still the top-seeded team. They haven’t played since the 11th and won’t play until the 21st when they take the court again.
Following what will be a 10-day layoff Joseph City, which earned a first-round bye in the 1A state bracket, will face either No. 9 Salome or No. 8 Ash Fork in the quarterfinal round on Friday at 5 p.m. That game will be played at Agua Fria High School.
The Wildcats pretty much rolled through all 1A competition this season and are heavy favorites to get to the title game. The Final Four will be played at Millennium High School on Saturday. The 1A championship game will be held with a 1 p.m. scheduled tip-off on Feb. 28, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
