The Wildcats are off to a 2-5 start to the basketball season, with both wins coming at the Route 66 tournament played in Williams over the weekend.
Joseph City dropped the season opener at Mayer on Nov. 24 in a close game, but their two contests played last week weren’t quite as close. Playing against bigger schools on both occasions, the Wildcats were soundly beaten by Show Low on Tuesday night, then again by Blue Ridge on Wednesday night in the home opener for the Cats.
Tuesday’s game at Show Low was a tough outing for Joseph City, which managed only seven second-half points in a 61-25 loss. The Cougars are a good team this year and simply had too much for Joseph City to handle. Koby Smith played solid, scoring 8 points and grabbing 10 boards. Bryson Palmer netted 7; Hayden Hendricks, 5, Matt Fields, 3; and Jacob Martin and Troy Poudrier, 1 each.
The following night the Wildcats played host to Blue Ridge and again felt the wrath of a bigger school. Joseph City stayed close through the first eight minutes, trailing by just six at the close of the first period. In the following three quarters the Cats combined to score only 17 points in the 75-23 home court loss. Smith led the way with 9 points. Fields, Hendricks and Palmer all netted 4, while Martin and Landon Baldwin added each.
Joseph City fell to host Williams in the first round of the Route 66 tournament, 52-45, despite strong performances from both Smith and Hendricks, each of whom finished in double figures in both points and rebounds.
The Wildcats fell to Needles, 59-17, then bounced back to earn their first two wins of the year with a 46-42 victory over Chino Valley on Friday followed by a 56-40 win over Mayer on Saturday.
The Wildcats will be road warriors this week. After playing at St. Johns on Tuesday, they travel to St. Michael on Thursday, to Fredonia on Friday and to Ash Fork on Saturday. On Tuesday, Dec. 16, they will host Round Valley.
