Spent Scorpions fall at Prescott5 min read

Sophomore Liza Westervelt makes a steal to lead the Scorpions fast break, flanked by sophomore Chenoa Crans, left, and junior Sophia Perry. Westervelt was named to the Winter Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 13.5 points per game on 22 three-pointers, including the game-winner Tuesday, Dec. 29, in overtime over Sandra Day O’Connor High School.

Some Sedona Red Rock High School heads may have hung from the sheer exhaustion of playing four girls basketball games in six-and-a-half hours Tuesday, Dec. 29.

“By the fourth game, the girls were exhausted — just worn down,” head coach Dave Moncibaez said following a 62-22 loss to host Prescott High School in the Lady Badgers Winter Classic championship. “That was just a game where you say, ‘Let’s fight to the end.’”

But Moncibaez left the tournament feeling nothing but pride in his team’s second-place finish.

“They had no idea how the bracket was going to play out, that they would have to go back-to-back-to-back, three games in a row,” he said. “Not to not give credit to Prescott — they’re a great team — but they played four games total in the whole tournament.”

The Scorpions played seven games over two days, avenging their only tournament loss, to Division II Copper Canyon High School, as well as beating Division I Sandra Day O’Connor High School in overtime in the two consecutive games prior to Prescott.

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“We would like to have shown [the Badgers] our freshest legs,” Moncibaez said. “It was a really long road.”

Sophomore guard Liza Westervelt was the Scorpions’ representative on the all-tournament team after averaging 13.5 points on 22 three-pointers in a 5-2 run Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 28 and 29.

“She lit it up,” Moncibaez said after Westervelt scored 19 points, including the game-winning three-point shot to beat O’Connor, 48-45. “I set up the same play we didn’t execute correctly in the fourth quarter — but with a second look.”

The “gigantic” Eagle defenders collapsed on driving junior forward Sophia Perry, who found Westervelt open on the wing from 20 feet for the tournament’s signature play.

The Scorpions had 10 minutes to enjoy it before playing Copper Canyon, the team that beat them by 18 points the day before after SRRHS won its first two games over smaller schools by more than 30 points each.

“They pressed us the whole game and created opportunities,” Moncibaez recalled. “They had a couple of tough-nosed guards who really penetrated our defense and either got to the foul line or kicked out to open shooters.

“We definitely had the hardest task in the tournament, based on that loss. [We] could’ve just rolled over and given it to them.”

But this time, senior point guard Annie Parrella commanded tougher, more composed handling of the basketball against the Aztec press, turning a two-point first-quarter deficit into a two-point lead by halftime the Scorpions would not relinquish.

“They didn’t play us any different,” Moncibaez said. “We just played smarter. Our zone contested all their shots, and our starting five and the bench really executed well.

“That game said, ‘You know what? We belong here.’”

Perry and junior Hannah Ringel provided 26 points in the paint to fuel a 48-39 win over the Aztecs in the semifinals.

“They came up big with rebounds, offensively and defensively,” Moncibaez said of his starting forwards, who each collected 12 boards in their first win Dec. 29, a 9 a.m. start against another Division II high school, Bradshaw Mountain. “They are big and aggressive, but we got in position really well.

“Against teams like Bradshaw, you’ve got to just focus on getting rebounds and getting the ball up court. We jumped on Bradshaw from the outset.”

The Bradshaw scorebook, as well as the one from the Scorpions’ second game Dec. 28, a 63-29 win over St. David High School, show Parrella was the team’s second-leading scorer with 13 points each game.

What they couldn’t show was how much Parrella kept her tired teammates going, particularly in the games following the Copper Canyon loss that sent them into the consolation bracket.

“Maybe we lost, but we can’t just give up,” Moncibaez said. “That’s the leadership quality she provides for us. You’ve got to keep their spirits up when they’re tired.

“Sometimes, when things go wrong, they tend to dwell on and don’t move past [them], but after every game, they just rose to the occasion. They just don’t realize, sometimes, how good they are, and how good they can be.”

While Moncibaez’s team impressed opposing coaches with its discipline and hidden talent, the girls had to rely on their own internal resources to make their run.

“Most teams there had no respect for us because we’re such a small school,” he said. “Not one of the coaches or players we were playing against, in this tournament, thought we would be playing for the championship.
“But they believed. They never gave up.”

The performance of five-foot, three-inch guard Joanne Toscano may have elevated her to fifth starter. She had 21 points on five three-pointers in the Scorpions’ 70-39 opening win over Glendale Preparatory Academy.

“I don’t want to adjust to other teams because of height or anything,” Moncibaez said. “They should adjust to us.”
Toscano rotates at the wing with fellow sophomore Chenoa Crans and junior Xan Hawes.

“Chenoa’s a great defender, and Xan can play both offense and defense,” Moncibaez said. “In a way, it’s good because we can adjust any given day. But we want to play our game.”

Moncibaez also hopes the Scorpions’ hard work has earned them the confidence to challenge for the Division IV, Section I title.

The Scorpions will need it.

“This is why they do tournaments,” he said. “No team’s going to feel sorry for us.”

For more photos and full tournament scores, please see the Friday, Jan. 1, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.

George Werner

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