Racecar driver Bobby Unser said that “Nobody remembers who finished second except the guy who finished second.”
This was evidenced by the seeding of the Sedona Red Rock High School basketball teams in the Division IV state tournaments, which begin Friday, Feb. 19, in the Prescott Valley Events Center.
Boys Basketball
The SRRHS boys finished second again, as they did during the regular season, to Alchesay High School, 77-59, in the Section I tournament championship Saturday, Feb. 13.
That loss dropped head coach C.J. Sells’ team to a No. 15 seed for the Scorpions’ first postseason appearance in three years — a first-round game at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 19 against 18th-seeded River Valley High School, which beat the Scorpions [16-9] at home by six points Jan. 14.
“Alchesay’s 26-5 for a reason,” Sells said. “They push it and press. They spread the floor and made us help out to on defense to prevent layups, then they kicked the ball to the corner. Pick your poison.”
The Scorpions ultimately chose to succumb to 11 three-point shots made by the Falcons, enabled by 20 offensive rebounds.
“They kind of pounded us on the glass,” Sells said. “We would cut it to single digits but couldn’t get over the hump. When you’re down to seven healthy bodies, you’re already tired.”
Sells hopes sophomore Michael Ortega and freshman Chase Saczalski, who are being treated for ankle and foot injuries from their sectional semifinal Feb. 12 in Flagstaff, back at guard for State.
But sophomore starting forward Winston Cox, who had 19 points at sectionals but left the gym on crutches after twisting his ankle, may be done for the season.
“He says he’s going to try, but he can’t run and can’t cut,” Sells said. “I don’t want him hurting the team. I would be very surprised if Winston is going.”
Next man up for the River Valley rematch is sophomore Wyatt Gregson, who “played his butt off” in relief of Cox, Sells said, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds Feb. 13.
“They think they can win again; we think they’ll see a different team,” Sells said. “We’re playing with house money.”
Girls Basketball
The SRRHS girls team fell from being ranked second to a sixth seed in the tournament after also finishing second at sectionals Feb. 13, losing 52-45 to Ganado High School.
The loss means head coach Dave Moncibaez may also have to prepare for a rematch with River Valley. The 11th-seeded Dust Devils — who the Scorpions beat in their gym Jan. 14, 61-47 — play No. 22 seed Morenci Junior/Senior High School for the right to face the Scorpions [25-6] in the second round Saturday, Feb. 20.
But even senior point guard Annie Parrella, sophomore off guard Liza Westervelt and junior power forwards Sophia Perry and Hannah Ringel were sluggish in a 74-46 semifinal blowout of Hopi High School.
“We just had a couple of slow starts,” said Moncibaez, whose team actually had to climb out of a two-point deficit to the Bruins at the end of the first quarter. “Even in the Hopi game, we didn’t get in a rhythm until the third quarter.”
Like in the boys championship, three-point shots made the difference, as the Ganado girls hit 11 to the Scorpions’ eight.
“They hit two threes 40 seconds before halftime to put us down seven,” Moncibaez said. “They had four different girls hurt us with threes. So who do you guard?”
Westervelt was the leading SRRHS scorer at sectionals, with four three-pointers against Ganado on the heels of a 24-point performance against Hopi, supported by Parrella’s 20.
Moncibaez’s brother and assistant coach, Steve, was happy that the girls got “a little piece of humble pie” before State.
“Remember this feeling at this moment,” Dave Moncibaez told his team after the loss. “Don’t hang your heads. The last loss you had, you won 14 in a row. You’ve always bounced back.”
