Perhaps four girls basketball players are enough to win the Verde Valley League.

Perhaps winning the league would also be enough for the A team at Big Park Community School, which pulled into a tie for the league lead Tuesday, Jan. 6, after a 43-8 home throttling of Mountain View Preparatory Academy.  

“It’s been a rough year,” head coach Kirk Westervelt said. “With basically just four kids playing and two other girls not showing up after break, if they just want to play local and not go to State, that’s fine with me. I’ll let them make the decision.”

While Westervelt plans on taking at least eight players to the Verde Valley League tournament Friday, Jan. 30, the Big Park scoring load against the Ocelots was shouldered entirely by Westervelt’s daughter Mary, a seventh-grader, and three eighth-graders:  Braeden Feldkeller, Grace Hafner and Audrey Perry.

“We’re pretty diversified and unselfish, actually,” Kirk Westervelt said. “Since sixth grade, all of them, usually we’re a fast-breaking team.

“Grace, she’s the glue to the defense. She’s vocal out there. Braeden is more of a wing and the post is Audrey’s. Obviously, Mary, at point guard, she’s the girl that pretty much is the only ballhandler that’s needed.”

Mary Westervelt led all scorers with 14 points for the Coyotes [9-1], which tied Camp Verde Middle School for the league lead after the Cowboys lost their undefeated status Jan. 6 at Clarkdale-Jerome School, 22-20.

For the full story, please see the Friday, Jan. 9, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.