Photo By Steve Carter: Raeleigh Hawkins (5) drives in the paint. San Carlos came out victorious Saturday, 56-40 over Fort Thomas.
By Jon Johnson
FORT THOMAS – The No. 1 ranked team in girls 2A basketball, the San Carlos Braves, got their 15th win in a row and, maybe even more importantly, bragging rights on the Res.
The Braves (4-0 region, 7-0 conference, 16-1 overall) came into Fort Thomas on Saturday to battle the No. 3 ranked 1A girls team and left victorious, 56-40.
Inside a packed gymnasium, the crowd was treated to a competitive first half that saw San Carlos eke out a 14-12 lead after the first quarter of play. The Braves stayed ahead mostly behind the long ball strikes from Ellysia Cutter, who hit two of her five 3’s in the opening period. Cutter ended up leading all scorers on the night with 23 points.
Fort Thomas answered back in kind with its own sharpshooters as both Kaylee Benally and Tyesha Wilson hit from deep. Wilson finished with four treys and 15 points to lead the Apaches, while Benally hit three treys and finished with 14 points.
San Carlos edged its lead a bit to the north by the half outscoring Fort Thomas by six points in the second quarter. A quarter in which The Fort missed eight free throws, and San Carlos took a 28-20 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter was a tough one for the Apaches, who only managed one field goal (a Wilson 3-pointer) and two free throws for the quarter.
Conversely, San Carlos kept up its double-digit scoring ways through a total team effort. Jenessa Victor (16 points) hit two field goals in the quarter, and Kylee Juan (5 points) and Malia Antonio (3 points) both scored along with Cutter to give the Braves 13 points in the quarter.
The teams then deadlocked with 15 points each in the final quarter of play to lift the Braves over the Apaches, 56-40.
Other scorers for Fort Thomas included Jamie Johnson with 7 points, Kirah Moses with 3 points, and Raeleigh Hawkins with 1 point.
Fort Thomas will next host the Dishchii’bikoh Wildcats on Tuesday, Jan. 16, starting at 5:30 p.m. They then have a Jan. 18 game against Hayden, but they likely have circled their Jan. 19 road game against the Joseph City Wildcats, who sit atop the 1A Copper via a 44-40 victory over Fort Thomas on Dec. 15, 2023.
San Carlos will next go on the road on Tuesday, Jan. 16, to face the San Tan Charter Roadrunners, starting at 4:30 p.m.
