Final Four bound: Rock Point, St. Michael girls to meet in state semis

ROCK POINT

On Saturday night, Rock Point hosted the Mogollon Lady Mustangs in the quarterfinals of the 2021 girls’ 1A state tournament. Rock Point took the win 61-37, but it wasn’t easy.

Both teams wanted the gold and despite Mogollon being seeded No. 7 and Rock Point No. 2, this didn’t stop the Lady Mustangs from trying.

From the first period, it was a fast-paced game. Lady Cougar Tamira John made the first basket in the opening seconds of the match. Rock Point took a huge lead until the Lady Mustangs made a series of quick baskets in the last minute and ended the quarter 18-7.

The Lady Mustangs got its bearings, building off free-throw opportunities and a strong defense. It quickly caught up to Rock Point, four points away from gaining the lead, but the Lady Cougars regrouped and claimed the first half with a score of 29-18.

When the game resumed, and the Lady Cougars continued its advance, the Lady Mustangs never gave up.

The Lady Mustangs continued to hustle and took advantage of any openings, keeping Rock Point on its toes.

Both teams suffered an injury, but both players from each team are expected to recover. There were also many steals during the game, and the ball changed hands at least five times during one play.

The game was fierce due partly to Mogollon’s never-quit attitude that it maintained until the game’s end. Lady Mustang Paige Parry made the last basket, but the game belonged to the Lady Cougars, 61-37, thanks to its skilled players and offense.

Rock Point’s Danielle Johnson scored the most for the Lady Cougars with 13, while Parry scored the most for Mogollon. Riniesha Bahe, John, and many other Lady Cougars made crucial steals and kept the aggressive Lady Mustangs from scoring, leading in turnovers with 37 to Mogollon’s 23.

Lady Cougars coach Andrew Reed was happy with the team’s performance and thanked Mogollon for the game, saying it helped the Lady Cougars learn what it needs to prepare for and what skills need to be honed as it prepares for its next game this coming Friday against St. Michaels in Prescott.

“I know Mogollon came out stronger than they did, and I’m glad they played us tough; they got us ready,” Reed said. “They got us ready to go down to the semifinals.

“We’re ready,” he said. “We’re going to get some rest this weekend; then we got three days to practice. We’re going to do a lot of shooting and then get ourselves ready for semifinals.”

St. Michael

On the same night, the St. Michael Lady Cardinals won the quarterfinal matchup against Salome High, 36-28.

The Lady Cardinals will be moving on to the semifinals in Prescott on Friday, facing the Rock Point Lady Cougars.

St. Michael enjoyed an 8-game victory streak and could have ended its regular season with a 10-game streak, but it was interrupted by Rock Point, which won 62-50.

Lady Cardinals coach Carl Adams said his team didn’t play the way he would have liked against Salome, but his players were able to pull through with their skills, and the match helped them recognize what they needed to improve on.

“They stayed in the game mentally and never gave up, Salome was prepared for us,” Adams said.

“There were things we had to correct, it’s not the performance we were used to, but we made sure we stayed in it during the game,” he said. “The senior leadership definitely pulled us out. We just maintained control of the game and never got to the situation where we were jittery or frustrated. The girls stuck together through it and did well. I’m proud of them.”

Toward the end of the game, he credited Kalynn Smith for making last-minute 3-pointers, and Gabriella Simpson’s defense and free throws helped keep the team ahead.

Yasmine Lee also made free throws that kept the team ahead. Autumn Shirley also stepped up when there was an injury on the team and secured some free-throw points, all accumulating to St. Michael’s win.

The girls are excited to play one last basketball game and are pumped to go to the semifinals.

In previous interviews, Adams had stated how confident he felt with his team, saying they can only improve from here.

This is the second year St. Michael is heading to the Final Four. This time it’s with a mostly new team.

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