The Lady Wildcats entered the Copper Bracket as the 11th overall seed and the highest ranked 1A team. On Tuesday night they traveled to Window Rock to take on the sixth seeded Lady Scouts who finished the season ranked fourth in the final 3A rankings.
Joseph City had an impeccable 29-2 record entering that game and despite a huge effort from Audrey Neill, they are now returning to the 1A bracket where they are the heavy favorites to win the state title.
The Senior guard finished the game with an amazing 38 points on 15 for 24 shooting, with none of those shots coming from behind the arc. She also pulled down 10 boards plus had seven steals.
Amber Neill added 7; Gianna Brawley, 3; Tori Beatty, 3; McKenzie Jesmer, 2; Raylee Fish, 2; and Kaci Palmer helped with 1. Joseph City did not make a 3-point shot, attempting only four, and went 12 for 19 at the line with Audrey Neill going 8 for 10 herself.
The Wildcats did commit 34 turnovers facing a defense they don’t normally see a lot during the regular season.
Joseph City returns as the top seed in the 1A bracket and will host 16th seeded San Pasqual on Monday night. With an expected win over the 16-9 Warriors, they would face either eighth seeded El Capitan or ninth seeded Salome in Friday’s quarterfinal round.
The 1A semifinals will be played on Saturday at Millennium High School. The 1A championship game will be at 1 p.m. on Friday the 27th, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
