Round Valley Roundball Shootout: Late free throws lift Alchesay girls to back-to-back titles

EAGAR, Ariz. – The final stretch of the Round Valley Roundball Shootout girls championship game became a free throw contest.

The Alchesay Lady Falcons nailed 5-of-8 free throws in the final three-plus minutes to clinch a 44-40 win over the Pima Lady Roughriders.

Saturday night’s meeting was a repeat of last year’s championship game, which Alchesay also won by a four-point margin.

“Whenever we play Pima, it’s a game,” Lady Falcons coach Rick Sanchez said. “We played them last year for the finals and we won. You know, Pima is just flat-out tough.”

After a 31-all stalemate entering the fourth, the Sanchez-coached team got a little breathing room when senior Jazlyn Nosie hit a jumper and nailed 1-of-2 free throws for a 36-33 cushion with four minutes left in the contest.

After trading buckets, the Lady Roughriders closed within 40-39 following a two-point bucket from junior forward Sadie Richardson with 2:17 to go.

In the final :45 of the game, Nosie was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity line.

“When she’s at the line, Jazz can make her free throws,” Sanchez said. “She works at it and, you know, all the girls work at it. They know it’s critical and they just have to suck it up, take a breath and hit the shot because that is what’s going to win the game.”

Nosie, who finished with a game-high 25 points, was named the tourney’s MVP.

“I’m pretty humbled, but I wanted to keep this going,” Nosie said of Alchesay’s back-to-back titles. “It’s my last year, and I wanted us to win this again.”

Despite graduating seven seniors this past spring, the Lady Falcons didn’t stray away from what it does best: playing defense.

“We won this title with our defense last year,” Nosie said. “We just had to play the same way. We have some new girls on the (varsity) team, so I just told them that if we keep playing defense we can get this.

“That’s the main key because we had some little mistakes that messed us up,” she added. “But we made that up by playing defense.”

Nosie was Alchesay’s lone player in double figures but she received help as six teammates scored at least one point. Junior power forward Ramona Gregg chipped in six while sophomore Alyssa Jim and senior post Abalena Jim both had four.

“I really like my team,” Sanchez said. “We’re gonna get better and Jazz is going to lead this team. She’s got a winner’s attitude and she’s going to take us as far as she can get us.

“She’s a tremendous shooter, but what’s even better is her passing,” he added. “With her being the general on the floor, we can’t go wrong.”

Richardson led Pima with 15 points while Madison Gann and Emalea Llamas had seven each.

Pima post Adysen Hoopes was held to three points as the junior was saddled with early foul trouble.

“They play an inside-outside game with that big girl in the middle,” Sanchez said of Hoopes.

With that, the Alchesay team had to respect the Lady Roughriders’ outside game.

“They’re really good three-point shooters,” Sanchez said. “We had to keep them from hitting threes, and I thought we did a good job at that.”

The Lady Falcons are entered in one more tournament when they start play in the Epic Tourneys New Year’s Classic at the end of the month down in the Valley.

The bigger prize, of course, lies at the end of the season as Alchesay is looking to three-peat as the 3A state champions.

“There’s a lot of things involved in winning a (state) championship,” Sanchez said. “We have to have that one mindset, and we have to come together. We have to make sure that we’re injury-free, too.

“I’m going to trust the Lord that he’s gonna guide us and give us strength to see it through,” he added.

Like her coach, Nosie is looking forward to winning a third state title.

“I’m more than hungry,” she said. “I’m trying to prepare these girls because everyone is watching us. They’re waiting for our downfall, but I’m preparing these girls for that.

“I want them to be ready because we’re going to get everyone’s best,” she added.

---