Rock Point Lady Cougars eye another 1A state title with 64-35 win over San Pasqual

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

ROCK POINT, Ariz. – The Rock Point Lady Cougars, seeded fifth in the 2025 Arizona Interscholastic Association 1A State Championship Tournament, took another step toward reclaiming the 1A state title with a commanding 64-35 victory over the San Pasqual Lady Warriors.

San Pasqual High School, located on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, sits just across the California border north of Yuma, Arizona. Despite its location, the school is affiliated with the AIA and competes in the 1A West, where they finished third in the region standings.

Rock Point, boasting three state championships (2019-20, 21-22, and 22-23) and seven consecutive regional titles, once again demonstrated their championship pedigree. Senior Tayleen Woody led the Cougars with 17 points and a strong defensive presence. She was supported by senior Corlana Begay and freshman Ashanti Smith, while San Pasqual’s senior forward Kyla Emerson paced the Lady Warriors with 14 points, and senior guard Daeja Villicana added nine.

The Lady Cougars wasted no time asserting control, smothering San Pasqual’s offense and outscoring them 14-5 in the first quarter. Sophomore Pepper Pete led Rock Point with five points, while sophomore Aiyana Becenti added three. The rest of the team spread the scoring evenly, each contributing two points. San Pasqual struggled to find an offensive rhythm, with Villicana leading them with three points and sophomore Kali Cortez adding two.

Rock Point continued to press in the second quarter, extending their lead with a 13-point surge. Woody caught fire from beyond the arc, sinking 3 three-pointers, while Begay and junior Caleigh White each chipped in two points.

The Warriors managed only nine points, with Villicana and Emerson both scoring four. By halftime, Rock Point was firmly in control, while San Pasqual Valley searched for answers as the Cougars remained in control, leading 27-14.

Rock Point continued their dominance in the third quarter, outscoring San Pasqual 17-11. Senior Jasmaine Shorty led the Cougars with six points.

For the Warriors, Emerson steered San Pasqual with seven points. Heading into the final quarter, the Cougars were firmly in the driver’s seat.

Rock Point capped off the game with a strong 10-point push. Smith took charge with six points while Begay added five.

For San Pasqual, Emerson and junior guard Delilah Clemets each scored three points.

Despite their dominant victory, Rock Point head coach Andrew Reed wasn’t fully satisfied with his team’s performance.

“The girls know what my expectations are,” Reed said. “If we are going to win another championship we need to do better than this. We played sloppy. We didn’t play our game—I don’t know what happened. We could’ve done a lot better, but it came out sloppy, and we can’t take that down to the Valley. Don’t get me wrong, but for a championship run, we have to be flawless. If we play a smart team, they’re just gonna come out and run us.”

Looking to correct the team’s mistakes, Reed emphasized the need to refocus. “We’re gonna go back and review our defense and offense because a lot of the time, we didn’t know where we were at. We gotta reset and review everything.”

With this win in the books, Rock Point now turns their attention to a quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 seed St. David Tigers at Desert Edge High School in Goodyear, Arizona on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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