The Joseph City boys basketball team went 1-1 in the final week of their regular season schedule last week. They fell by two points at Mogollon on Monday, after taking down the Mustangs just the previous week, then they bounced back on senior night with a comfortable 73-54 home court win over Grand Canyon on Friday night.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Monday’s game in Heber was a low scoring first half with the two teams mirroring each other through the first two periods reaching halftime knotted at 16-16. The Wildcats edged ahead by three in the third but they saw that three-point cushion disappear in the fourth where the Mustangs outscored them by five to secure the 51-49 win and gain hold of first place in the 1A Central division. With the loss the Wildcats finished second in the region and will enter the region tournament this week as the No. 2 seed.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Latrell Kinlicheenie led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 points. Kaden Moss added 9; Seth Hutchens, 8; Jay Edwards, 7; KJ Kinlicheenie, 5; Talon Smith, 2; and Carlos Sanchez finished with 2.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Joseph City entered Friday’s game ranked 13th in the 1A rankings with a regular season mark of 11-7. With that 13th ranking they should be safely into the state tournament, which begins this week with first round games slated for Wednesday at a Prescott location yet to be determined.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Joseph City’s first meeting with the Phantoms at Grand Canyon was a seven-point win. Friday night’s home game was within that margin until the third period. The Wildcats scorched the nets for 23 first period points and tacked on 16 more in the second to lead 39-31 at the break.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
In the third, Joseph City’s defense came alive limiting the Phantoms to only five points while opening up a 22-point lead. Grand Canyon outscored them in the fourth but the outcome was never in doubt.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Hutchens led three Wildcat players in double figures with 17 points. Latrell Kinlicheenie added 15 and pulled down 10 rebounds, and Jay Edwards helped with 13. KJ Kinlicheenie added 9; Damon Sandoval, 8; Sanchez, 8; Avery Buckley, 2; and Talon Smith scored a single point.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
The Wildcats finished the regular season with an overall record of 13-14.
/wp:paragraph
