The Lady Wildcats breezed through the Division IV Section III basketball tournament last week, crushing all three of their opponents by an average of 33 points per game.
As the top seed in the field, Joseph City opened sectional play last Tuesday with a 62-23 romp over eighth seeded Mayer. A 12-point first quarter lead quickly ballooned to a commanding 32-point halftime lead. Despite scoring just six points in the fourth period, the Lady Cats still picked up the huge win.
Taylor Hill led the way with 17 points. Brook Baldwin added 16; Searra Hansen, 8; Kristin Baldwin, 7, Sierra Johnstun and Madison Fields, 4 each; and Lindi Gardner, Heidi Hunsaker and Karissa Paddock, 2 each.
Their game with Rock Point in the next round the following day was nearly a repeat of their first round action. The Lady Cats again jumped out to an early lead, then by halftime they were once again in complete control, eventually winning 70-34 to advance to the sectional title game.
Hansen led the charge with 22 points. Hill added 20; Kristin Baldwin, 18; Fields, 8; and Johnstun, 2.
In Thursday’s championship matchup with third seeded Red Mesa, the Lady Wildcats trailed at the end of the first eight minutes by one. That deficit didn’t last long, though, as they limited Red Mesa to just three second-quarter points to build a 14-point halftime lead. That was more than enough for Joseph City to cruise to the sectional title with a 52-33 win.
Hansen led the offense with 15. Hill and Kristin Baldwin netted 12 each; Fields, 9; and Brooke Baldwin, 4.
The sectional win gave the Lady Wildcats enough power points to head into the state tournament with a first round bye. They enter as the sixth overall seed and will face 22nd seeded St. Michael at 4:30 p.m. today (Feb. 17) at Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. St. Michael upset No. 11 Salome 53-39 in the first round to earn the game with the Lady Wildcats. Joseph City had little problems against St. Michael in the regular season, so expect the Lady Cats to easily advance to the quarterfinal round, where they would meet No. 3 Tucson Green Fields or No. 14 Scottsdale Prep at 12 noon on Thursday, Feb. 23, also in Prescott Valley.
