On the positive side of things for Sedona Red Rock High School’s girls basketball team, the young Scorpions showed that they can play strong with one of the best teams in the state in its game with Camp Verde on Friday, Jan. 10. Unfortunately for Sedona, it wasn’t quite enough to pull out a victory.
The Scorpions led throughout the game and were up by as many as 18 points in the third quarter. But the veteran Cowboys clawed back into the game and eventually took a late lead. In the final seconds, SRRHS had two clean looks at a potential winning basket, but both were off target and Sedona fell to Camp Verde 50-49.
“I did not feel that we lost the game but only that we ran out of time in the last few seconds,” SRRHS coach Kirk Westervelt said. “We called an excellent play that was executed well but missed the shot and subsequent put back before the final horn sounded.”
After controlling much of the game, the Scorpions fell behind when Camp Verde senior Amanda Lozanilla hit a bucket to put her team up one in the final seconds. Sedona failed to score on its next possession but forced a turnover to earn one more chance at the win.
The design of the play was near perfect, as freshman Helen Westervelt got a clean look at the basket, but her shot was off. Her teammate, sophomore Stephanie Medel, grabbed the offensive rebound and had a clean look at the putback, but rushed her shot slightly and was too close to the basket, resulting in the game-ending miss.
“I thought I was going to make it but it was off,” Helen said of her shot. “I think the team played really solid. There are a few things we need to clean up, but overall, we did really good. For Stephanie, this was probably the best game she ever had.”
Medel was put to the test throughout the game, especially on the defensive end. She and senior Mary Westervelt shared low post duties against Jacy Finley, Camp Verde’s 6-foot-4-inch center. They didn’t shut her down completely, as she led the Cowboys with 14 points. But they did keep her in check, especially in the second half, when she only had two points.
The biggest difference in the second half was Camp Verde’s shooting. Lozanilla, as well as fellow seniors Tanna Decker and Lauren Ontiveros heated up, especially from behind the arc. Despite the cold start, the Scorpions knew that the Cowboys would eventually begin hitting from distance.
“I knew they were going to get their shots,” coach Westervelt said. “They’ve got three great three-point shooters. They missed the first half but I’ve known those girls since junior high and when they get hot, it’s coming.”
Despite their frustrating misses at the end, Helen Westervelt and Medel led both teams in scoring on the night, recording 15 points each. Sophomore Nyah Valdez added 10.
The loss moved the SRRHS girls to 7-4 overall. Sedona is 3-2 in conference games and 2-1 in 2A Central Region play.
“It’s one of those things that’s just growing pains,” the coach said. “I said from the beginning, we’re going to have freshmen who make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. When the state tournament comes, we’ll hopefully have them ironed out by then.”
Next up for Sedona is a road game against Valley Lutheran on Friday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. SRRHS will then be home on Saturday, Jan. 18 for a 3:30 p.m. start against Northland Prep. Following that, Sedona will be on the road against Chino Valley on Monday, Jan. 20 at 5:30 p.m. and home against Scottsdale Prep Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 5:30 p.m.
The Scorpions will get another shot at the Cowboys when the two teams play again on Friday, Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in Camp Verde.
