The Lady Wildcats are headed back to the 1A state championship game on Friday where they look to pick up their 33rd win of the season against just three losses.
After losing to Window Rock in the first round of the Copper tournament, the Wildcats went back into the 1A state tournament where they just dominated in their run to the final game as expected.
The first-round win came over San Pasqual Valley on Monday. The game was put out of reach in the first quarter where the Wildcats blanked the visiting Warriors 27-0 in the first quarter. Their lead was 46-3 at the half and ended up with Joseph City advancing in the bracket with a 58-15 win.
Audrey Neill led with 19. Jaydianna Kinlicheenie added 10; McKenzie Jesmer, 8; Raylee Fish, 6; Amber Neill, 6; Tori Beatty, 2; Kaci Palmer, 2; and Aaliyah James added 1.
Their second-round win was a 46-21 victory over El Capitan in the quarterfinal round on Friday. The semifinal match up with Ash Fork resulted in a 62-47 win for Joseph City advancing them to the 1A state title game against a familiar foe on Friday afternoon.
The Wildcats will face second-seeded Fort Thomas on Friday night in the championship game. The top two seeds met in the regular season on Jan. 30, in Fort Thomas, where Joseph City showed their dominance with a 46-30 win.
Wildcat fans can more than likely expect a similar outcome when the two teams meet on Friday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the 1A state title. The same two teams met in the title game last year with Joseph City prevailing.
