The Wildcats split two games last week, falling to Williams on Tuesday, then picking up a nine-point win over Ash Fork on Friday in a make-up game.
Playing at Williams, Joseph City was trying to atone for the previous week’s five-point loss to the same team. The Cats started quickly, opening up a nine-point lead, but some missed scoring opportunities kept them from building a larger lead early in the first quarter.
The Vikings stayed in the game, though, and took a one-point lead into the halftime break.
In the third period, Joseph City lost ground, falling behind by seven, then Williams finished the Cats off in the fourth to win the game 64-47.
“We outshot them by 20 shots, and forced a good number of turnovers, but we just could not convert on offense. They have a tall team with four of their starters over 6-4, and I think that had an effect on our shooting,” said Wildcat Coach Eric Miller.
Joseph City 13 7 13 14 47
Williams 7 14 20 23 64
On Friday, the Cats traveled to Ash Fork to take on the Spartans. This game was scheduled to help replace one of the missed tournament games from the Williams tournament cancelled because of the previous week’s snow. Needing critical power points, the Wildcats came out on top with a solid 63-54 win.
The Cats started quickly and held a 13-point halftime lead. They forced the Spartans into several turnovers, including 18 Wildcat steals, propelling them to their second win of the season.
“We played a great first half and the turnovers we forced were what made the difference. Once again we had some moments where we struggled shooting the ball, but we did get some easy shots with the steals. Ash Fork is a solid team and it was good to come away with a win,” added Coach Miller.
Joseph City 16 21 6 20 63
Ash Fork 11 13 15 15 54
Joseph City is now 2-3 on the season. After facing a tough Valley team in Sanders on Tuesday, the Wildcats will host Northland Prep on Saturday, Dec. 17.
