Last weekend’s results confirmed how friendly the confines of the Sedona Red Rock High School gymnasiums are to its boys and girls basketball teams.

While the girls won four of five games Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 10 through 12, to finish third in the Sedona Hoops Classic, the boys stumbled in three out of their four Cage Classic games in the wilds of Wickenburg.

With their Monday, Dec. 14, game at Bourgade Catholic High School postponed due to the cold weather, both teams will have the opportunity to prepare for their final game before the holiday break at home, as Camp Verde High School renews the cross-Valley rivalry Thursday, Dec. 17, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

“We want to be the team to beat,” girls head coach Dave Moncibaez said. “Based on the tournament and the other high competition they’ve played, I think they’re really starting to believe that they can do great things.”

Beating Snowflake High School in the tournament opener, 59-52, helps. The tough Lobos had owned the Scorpions the last three seasons, with each of their wins by at least 18 points.

“They played man-to-man defense the whole game,” Moncibaez said. “The girls were patient and executed with discipline against it.”

While Moncibaez was impressed with the play of junior Xan Hawes and sophomores Brittney Medel and Joanne Toscano off the bench in their five games, he is counting on his starting five, led by the composure and patience of senior point guard Annie Parrella, to stay out of foul trouble.

With the exception of junior Sophia Perry, who fouled out late in the Scorpions’ only loss, 51-47, to tournament runner-up Holbrook High School, they delivered.

“Really, all these teams have numbers,” Moncibaez said. “Their substitutions affected us.”

Winning three other Sedona Hoops Classic games by an average of over 18 points, using a relentless, pressing defense, doesn’t hurt that cause.

“We still had girls out of place [and] not always on the same page,” though, in a 47-24 blowout of Show Low High School, Moncibaez said. “It gave us a good opportunity to change things up offensively with different looks, but it was one of those games we got exposed.”

In the third-place game, sophomore shooting guard Liza Westervelt exploded, despite foul trouble, for three three-pointers on her way to 15 points in a 48-31 win over Blue Ridge High School.

“She was on fire,” Moncibaez said. “[Junior] Hannah [Ringel] had a great game. She got to the line a lot against Blue Ridge.”

Sells could not have been happy losing three of four Dec. 11 and 12 in Wickenburg, especially with two of those losses by an average of 22 points.

For more photos and all boys and girls tournament scores Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 10 through 12, please see the Wednesday, Dec. 16, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.