Morenci girls return from quarantine to face No. 1 Pima

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Juliauna Forgach-Aguilar knifes between a pair of Silver defenders en route to the basket. The Morenci senior contributed six points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, and six deflections. Morenci prevailed 37-25. The Wildcats visit Pima Tuesday and Benson Friday, all for region contests.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Juliauna Forgach-Aguilar knifes between a pair of Silver defenders en route to the basket. The Morenci senior contributed six points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, and six deflections. Morenci prevailed 37-25. The Wildcats visit Pima on Tuesday and Benson on Friday, all for region contests.

Wildcats go 4-0 in New Years Classic Tourney

By Raymundo Frasquillo

MORENCI – The global health crisis is very much still with us, altering lives with its presence. The Albert Ortega-coached Morenci Wildcats basketball girls had to stay home for several days because of it, each denied in-class learning and missing four scheduled games as well. They missed tip-offs with New Mexico Silver (Jan. 6), then No. 2 Phoenix Country Day School (Jan. 8), No. 18 Bisbee (Jan. 11), and top-ranked Pima (Jan. 14).

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Morenci senior Delicia Roybal makes an inbound pass difficult for Silver junior Annalisa Nieto.

The Wildcats were allowed a return to the practice floor on Jan. 15. They will be challenged right out of the chute following two days of group preparation by Pima in Graham County on Tuesday, Jan. 18. The Roughriders already have a 41-point win over the Wildcats on Dec. 20. Will they show confidence and endurance or self-doubt and fatigue? Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. Morenci was scheduled to host Tombstone on Monday, but the Yellow Jackets bowed out due to succumbing to its own COVID-19 issues.

Other pairings for region members this week are Willcox at Pima and Benson at Bisbee on Wednesday, Jan. 19; and Morenci at Benson, Willcox at Bisbee, and Pima is still scheduled at Tombstone on Friday, Jan. 21.

Last week, the region pairings resulted in wins of 70-34 over Benson for Pima and 47-33 for Tombstone over Willcox on Jan. 11, and 52-19 for Bisbee over Tombstone on Jan. 14.

The 2A East Region members were ranked No. 1 through No. 21 of 46 teams at week’s end. Top ranked Pima (15-1 overall, 8-0 seeding,  19.2515 rating, 1-0 region) is first, No. 10 Bisbee (10-1, 5-1, 6.5617, 1-0) second, No. 17 Tombstone (7-5, 5-4, 1.8730, 1-0) third, No. 12 Morenci (9-3, 4-1, 5.9122, 0-0) fourth, No. 19 Benson (8-5, 3-3, 1.7137, 0-1) fifth, and No. 21 Willcox (7-9, 6-3, 0.1138, 0-1) sixth.

Morenci had a current five-game win streak, going 4-0 on four different venues during the three-day Chandler Prep New Years Classic Tourney, and outlasting New Mexico Silver 37-25 in Wildcat Memorial Gymnasium (Jan. 4). The Wildcats returned with a first-place trophy, having topped Phoenix North Canyon 52-33 at Chandler Prep (Dec. 30), Mesa Mountain View 61-58 (2 OT) at Gilbert Leading Edge (Dec. 29), Payson 55-39 at Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (Dec. 29), and Oregon Aloha Faith Bible Christian 61-54 at Gilbert Higley (Dec. 28).

The Wildcats also have wins of 48-45 over Saint David (Dec. 18), 70-31 over New Mexico Bayard Cobre (Dec. 10), 56-52 over Saint David (Dec. 6), and 63-30 over Phoenix Madison Highland Prep (Nov. 30). The losses have been 72-68 to Fort Thomas (Dec. 21), 72-31 to Pima (Dec. 20), and 49-45 to Eagar Round Valley (Dec. 1).

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Devanie Medina assures Silver junior Alizae Torres decides to dribble away from the basket. The Fighting Colts had two fourth-quarter points. Torres finished with 13 points while Medina had two.

Tombstone is averaging a 35-37 (419-449) score per game or a 2-point deficit. The Yellow Jackets’ wins are 36-22 over Elfrida Valley Union (Dec. 2), 47-35 over Tucson Santa Rita (Dec. 7), 19-14 over Sahuarita Walden Grove (Dec. 10), 34-30 over Tucson Empire (Dec. 11), 43-35 over Patagonia (Dec. 16), 52-35 over Tucson Saint Augustine Catholic (Jan. 5), and 47-33 over Willcox (Jan. 11).

The losses are 28-35 to Phoenix Madison Highland Prep (Nov. 23), 34-50 to Saint David (Nov. 29), 28-67 to Sahuarita (Dec. 10), 32-41 to Tucson Desert Christian (Dec. 17), and 19-52 to Bisbee (Jan. 11).

Pima is averaging a 68-28 (1,081-446) score per game or a 40-point margin. The Roughriders wins are 87-46 over Fort Thomas (Nov. 30), 70-32 over San Carlos (Dec. 2), 81-7 over Queen Creek San Tan Charter (Dec. 7), 55-44 over Winslow (Dec. 9), 52-18 over Phoenix Alhambra (Dec. 10), 68-28 over Surprise Paradise Honors (Dec. 10), 55-23 over Tuba City (Dec. 11), 69-25 over Saint David (Dec. 14), 62-13 over Safford (Dec. 16), 92-14 over Willcox (Dec. 18), 72-31 over Morenci (Dec. 20), 56-33 (Dec. 21) and 63-30 (Jan. 4) over Thatcher, 85-5 over Glendale Trivium Prep (Jan. 6), and 70-34 over Benson (Jan. 11). The lone loss is 46-63 to Flagstaff (Dec. 11).

The Wildcats were averaging a 54-47 (647-560) score per game or a 7-point margin and making 60 percent (131-219) of their free throws compared to 57 (90-157) for the combined opponents.

Senior Delicia Roybal has a percentage of 100 (2-2), senior Zenayah Cortez 72 (67-93), senior Juliauna Forgach-Aguilar 58 (19-33), junior Mia Ontiveros 52 (11-21), sophomore Elena Leonard 50 (10-20), junior Keirah Chee 50 (5-10), senior Karyme Young 50 (3-6), senior Devanie Medina 42 (14-33), and freshman Sway Cordova 0-2.

Junior Cambri McCauley and sophomore Ciantae Dosela have not attempted free throws.

Aguilar and Cortez were selected to the honor team of the 3-day 45th Eastern Arizona Holiday Tourney. It was the second honor for Cortez, also named to the 44th tourney team as a sophomore in 2019.

Morenci – 37, Silver – 25

Three field goals were scored in the opening three minutes of the initial quarter, two by the host and one by the guest. Morenci led 4-2 with 2:02 elapsed. The Wildcats went on a 13-2 run during the remaining 4:31 to take a 17-4 advantage into the second quarter, using numerous steals off a full-court press for high-percentage shots.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Mia Ontiveros defends against an interior pass by Silver sophomore Laila Lopez. The visitor had two points while the Morenci junior netted eight points.

Morenci led 27-12 at halftime and 33-23 heading into the fourth quarter. Play was paused for spectators to be reminded why the game was being held. A school administrator identified himself, warning, if it could not be viewed without negative comments, the gymnasium would be cleared and the game would be played with only the participating student-athletes “in the house.”

Play resumed. Three field goals were scored in the final eight minutes, two by the host and one by the guest.

The Wildcats connected on 17 field goals (two 3-pointers) plus 1-6 free throws compared to 17 field goals plus 1-3 free throws by the “Land of Enchantment” visitors.

Cortez tossed in a game-high 14 points on seven field goals. Ontiveros added eight points, Aguilar six, Leonard four, Roybal three, and Medina two. Cortez had 13 of 36 rebounds and Aguilar 10, Aguilar five of seven blocks and four of six deflections, and Leonard seven of 20 steals.

For the Silver Fighting Colts, junior Alizae Torres had 13 points on six field goals plus 1-1 free throws. Junior Alexis Flores added eight points, and both senior Jordan McCain and sophomore Laila Lopez two apiece.

Morenci – 52, North Canyon – 33

Each team scored in double figures during three quarters, but the Wildcats turned in a 9-0 opening quarter and never trailed thereafter. Morenci had a 2-to-1, 22-11, halftime margin and led 39-22 heading into the fourth quarter. The Rattlers managed an 11-13 fourth quarter outing, having their two leading scorers benched via the foul route. And, had advantages of 27-15 in rebounding, 12-2 in deflections, 10-7 in steals, and 5-1 in assists.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Morenci seniors Zenayah Cortez, left, and Juliauna Forgach-Aguilar, right, sandwich Silver senior center Emma Peters (20) between them, each battling for a rebound.

Morenci connected on 18 field goals plus 16-24 free throws compared to11 field goals (three 3-pointers) plus 8-18 free throws for North Canyon. 

The Wildcats were paced by Aguilar with a season-high 26 points on 19 field goals plus 6-7 free throws and Cortez with 15 on six field goals plus 3-8 free throws. Medina added five points, Young three, Leonard two, and Chee one. Aguilar also had 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Leonard four steals.

North Canyon got 16 points from senior Mae Dieguez on five field goals (three 3-pointers) plus 6-7 free throws. Senior Paige Jennings added nine points, senior Jaida Steward seven, and junior Gloria Hussey one. Additionally, Hussey had eight rebounds, Steward four steals, and sophomore Ava Adams three assists.

The Rattlers (9-7, 5-4, 1-0 5A Central Region) downed Phoenix Christian 55-38 (Dec. 28), Yuma 47-43 (Dec. 29), and Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian 35-29 (Dec. 29) prior to meeting the Wildcats.

Morenci – 61, Mesa Mt. View – 58 2 OT

Deadlocked 47-47 at the end of regulation, the contest went two extra periods before being decided. The first extra period had both teams adding five points, with Leonard tossing them in for Morenci.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Elena Leonard goes up for two against Silver. The Morenci sophomore totaled four points and seven of 20 steals.

A second extra period resulted in a 9-6 Morenci advantage, with Cortez adding two field goals plus 1-2 free throws, Medina 2-2 free throws, and Ontiveros a field goal.

Mountain View got three field goals plus 5-9 free throws from three different players during the two extra periods.

The Toros had a 7-6 opening period edge, led 26-25 at halftime, and 33-32 heading into the final period. Morenci turned in a 15-14 fourth-period outing to force the first extra period.

For the game, the Wildcats made 22 field goals (five 3-pointers) plus 12-21 free throws compared to 20 field goals (six 3-pointers) plus 12-22 free throws for the Toros. Additionally, the Wildcats ended with advantages in rebounding (49-43) and steals (14-7).

Cortez had 20 points on six field goals plus 8-15 free throws, Leonard a career-high 17 on six field goals (four 3-pointers) plus 1-2 free throws, and Aguilar 10 on five field goals. Medina added five points and Ontiveros six. Aguilar had 19 rebounds, Cortez 17, and Medina nine. Leonard had five of 14 steals, Ontiveros four, Aguilar three, and Cortez two.

The Toros got 23 points from junior Sarah Smout on seven field goals (four 3-pointers) plus 5-7 free throws and 10 from sophomore Sadie Gardner on five field goals. Junior Courtenay Lee added nine points, junior Mimi Miller six, and senior Darlene Brown and sophomore Savannah Moody five apiece. Lee had 15 rebounds and Brown 10, Smout six of 15 assists, and five of seven steals.

Mesa Mountain View (8-6, 4-0, 0-0 6A East Valley Region) slipped past Pusch Ridge 40-38 (Dec. 30) after the loss to Morenci and defeated both Coolidge 38-33 (Dec. 28) and Marana Mountain View 42-30 (Dec. 29) prior.

Morenci – 55, Payson – 39

The Longhorns outscored the Wildcats 17-12 in the third quarter, however, Morenci opened with a 14-8 advantage and led 30-18 at halftime to lead 42-35 at the start of the final eight minutes. The Wildcats added a 13-4 fourth-quarter effort to post a win.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Zenayah Cortez goes up for a first-half shot attempt against Silver. The Morenci senior tossed in a game-high 14 points on 7-15 field goal attempts and notched 13 of 36 rebounds.

Morenci made 21 field goals (two 3-pointers) plus 8-17 free throws compared to 19 field goals plus 1-1 free throws for Payson.

 Leonard had a game-high 14 points on four field goals (two 3-pointers), Cortez 13 on five field goals plus 3-3 free throws, and Medina 11 on four field goals plus 3-7 free throws. Ontiveros added nine points and Aguilar eight. Additionally, Cortez had 11 of 30 rebounds and Aguilar 10, Medina 3-8 assists and 3-4 blocks, Aguilar 8-25 steals, Medina six, and Cortez four.

Payson senior Trinity Glasscock had a team-high 11 points on five field goals plus 1-1 free throws. Junior Brianna Marinelli added eight points, senior Emmy Whaley six, seniors Kayla Cline and Magdalene Whaley and sophomore Chloe Hancock four apiece, and senior Cadence White two.

Payson (7-4, 3-1, 0-0 3A East Region) defeated Florence 51-16 (Dec. 28) and Marana Mountain View 53-42 (Dec. 29) before falling 42-37 to Yuma Catholic (Dec. 30).

Morenci – 61, Faith Bible Christian – 54

Prior to meeting Morenci, Oregon Aloha Faith Bible Christian was averaging a 63-25 (506-196) score during eight games or a 38-point margin. The conclusion found the Falcons with their initial loss for 2022.

The Falcons outscored Morenci 16-14 in the fourth quarter. However, the Wildcats led 15-12 after the first quarter, 29-28 at halftime, and 47-38 at the start of the final eight minutes.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Morenci senior Karyme Young gets the ball across the half-court line. She posted zero turnovers and personal fouls.

Morenci scored on 27 field goals plus 7-13 free throws compared to 20 field goals (six 3-pointers) plus 8-11 free throws for Faith Bible Christian.

Aguilar totaled 19 points on nine field goals plus 1-3 free throws, Cortez 17 on six field goals plus 5-6 free throws, and Medina a season-high 12 on six field goals plus 0-2 free throws. Ontiveros added nine points and Leonard four. Additionally, Aguilar and Cortez both hauled down 20 of 53 rebounds, Aguilar had 8-20 steals and Medina seven, Cortez 3-6 assists, and Aguilar had three blocks and Cortez two.

Faith Bible Christian got 19 points from senior Ashley Lohman on eight field goals plus 3-5 free throws, 12 from senior Taylor Masterson, and 11 from junior Adrienne Mallory on four field goals (three 3-pointers). Junior Alexis Mallory added seven points, freshman Katelyn Kriegelstein two, and junior Becca Warren one.

The Falcons (10-1 overall, 2A Northwest League 1-0) went on to defeat Gilbert Leading Edge 71-24 (Dec. 29) and Ganado 83-43 (Dec. 30).

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: A 10-member school spirit line helps cheer on the team.