Three-peat: Rock Point girls take 1A crown
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Rock Point Lady Cougar Rainee Bahe holds up the 1A state championship trophy following Rock Point’s 49-45 win over Joseph City on Saturday night. The Lady Cougars collected its third state title.
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz.
What a way to go out.
With seven seniors, the Rock Point Lady Cougars won its third state title Saturday in a matchup that pitted the top two teams in 1A girls basketball.
Top-seed Rock Point was in cruise control in the opening half before getting a stern test from No. 2 Joseph City Lady Wildcats in the second as the Cougars emerged with a hard-fought 49-45 win inside the Findlay Toyota Center.
“This is nice, but I thought they were gonna take it,” Rock Point senior guard Rainee Bahe said of Joseph City. “I mean, they had the momentum, and it looked like it was going downhill for us, but we stuck with it.”
“When they came out strong in that second half, we had to remind ourselves that everything that we worked for this season was for this moment,” fellow senior Arianne Begay added. “We weren’t gonna let them steal what was ours.”
Rock Point got balanced scoring with junior forward Taylyn Woody putting up a team-best 15 points while Begay added 13 and Bahe pitched in 10.
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Rock Point Lady Cougar Taylyn Woody (15) goes up for a layup while being guarded by Joseph City’s Gabrielle Jesmer in the 1A girls state title game. Rock Point won its third state title with a 49-45 win.
“We had a few girls that stepped up,” Rock Point coach Andrew Reed said. “It was nice that everyone contributed.”
Of all the state titles, Reed said this one stood out.
“We’ve been telling ourselves, let’s three-peat,” Reed said. “We wanted this; it was an emotional one. This one puts the icing on the cake, which is really good.”
For a more in-depth story, pick up Thursday’s Navajo Times.
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