Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Wildcats Rozlyn Funari (10), Tiara Jones (20), Jayla Wilson (3), and Sway Cordova (2) line up for an inbound play against Bisbee in G. Dale Mortensen Gymnasium. Morenci left the Elfrida Valley Union campus with a 56-44 region win on Feb. 1. The Wildcats host No. 3 Pima as No. 9 for the region and regular-season finale on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
By Raymundo Frasquillo
MORENCI – The Morenci Wildcats (9-2 region) host the No. 3 Pima Roughriders (11-0) as No. 9 on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Pima already has a 69-25 region home win over Morenci on Jan. 11.
Pima is 14-4 with an average score per game of 54-36 (976-642) versus Morenci in the previous 10 seasons (2014-23). The Roughriders are 7-2 with an average score per game of 51-36 (461-325) or a 15-point margin in Wildcat Memorial Gymnasium. The wins are 73-31 (Jan. 12, 2023), 60-39 (Jan. 27, 2022), 70-19 (Feb. 23, 2021), 58-32 (Dec. 5, 2019), 47-31 (Jan. 15, 2019), 41-22 (Jan. 16, 2018), and 47-45 OT (Jan. 22, 2016). The losses are 33-40 (Dec. 12, 2016) and 32-66 (Jan. 9, 2014).
During the same 10-year span, Morenci is 0-6 in the post-season while Pima is 14-5 with back-to-back state titles in 2022-23.
In other region pairings, No. 23 Benson (5-6) visits No. 14 Tombstone (6-5) and No. 40 Santa Rita (0-11) visits No. 24 Willcox (4-7) on Feb. 6. The No. 28 Bisbee Pumas (4-8) have completed their region schedule.
The non-region pairing has Willcox hosting 3A No. 33 Tucson Empire on Monday, Feb. 5.
No. 3 Pima Roughriders (21-4 overall)
The Roy Corona-coached Pima Roughriders (21-4 overall, 15-2 seeding, 16.2389 rating, 11-0 region for first of seven) are averaging a 53-29 (1,367-714) score per game or a 24-point margin.
Pima has seeding wins over Willcox (69-14, Dec. 1), Tombstone (56-33, Dec. 12), Bisbee (67-24, Dec. 15), Arizona Lutheran (48-31, Dec. 16), Santa Rita (57-4, Jan. 8), Benson (72-9, Jan. 19), Morenci (69-25, Jan. 11), Safford (54-40, Jan. 15), Tombstone (62-19, Jan. 19), Saint David (38-23, Jan. 22), Bisbee (67-34, Jan. 23), Thatcher (53-28, Jan. 25), Willcox (64-37, Jan. 29), Benson (47-21, Jan. 31), and Santa Rita (79-6, Feb. 1). The losses are to Snowflake (38-46, Jan. 4) and Lakeside Blue Ridge (38-41, Jan. 17).
In addition, the Roughriders went a combined 6-2 during two 3-day tourneys attended. They went 3-2 during the Round Valley tourney on Dec. 7-9 and 3-0 during the Eastern Arizona College tourney on Dec, 27-29. The wins were over Round Valley (46-39, Dec. 7), Sanders Valley (57-34, Dec. 8), Blue Ridge (44-24, Dec. 9), Elfrida Valley Union (65-13, Dec. 27), Thatcher (42-20, Dec. 28), and Miami (56-54, Dec. 29) while the losses were to Holbrook (37-49, Dec. 7) and Whiteriver Alchesay (40-44, Dec. 9).
An 11-member roster includes seniors Madison Gann (15), Lea Llamas (10), Kyli Mattice (13), Jessica Schmidt (20), and Ella Wiltbank (25); juniors Kelsi Brimhall (23), Addison Hoopes (43), Kennedy Minor (21), and Sadie Richardson (22); sophomore Macy Allred (12); and freshman Hanna Ashby (14).
No. 9 Morenci Wildcats (14-10)
The Albert Ortega-coached Morenci Wildcats (14-10 overall, 12-5 seeding, 7.0053 rating, 9-2 East Region for second of seven) are averaging a 45-42 (1,090-996) score per game or a 3-point margin.
Morenci has seeding wins over Elfrida Valley Union (39-22, Dec. 4), Willcox (50-45, Dec. 6), Tucson Santa Rita (57-23, Dec. 12), Benson (53-41, Dec. 18), Tombstone (53-40, Jan. 5), Bisbee (51-33, Jan. 8), Tombstone (54-44, Jan. 12), Willcox (60-47, Jan. 16), Santa Rita (62-25, Jan. 19), Gilbert San Tan Charter (61-28, Jan. 25), Bisbee (56-44, Feb. 1), and Tucson San Miguel Catholic (83-18, Feb. 3). The losses are to San Carlos (28-61, Nov. 20), Saint David (27-46, Nov. 27), Eagar Round Valley (28-54, Jan. 2), Pima (25-69, Jan. 11), Benson (43-46, Jan. 23).
Additionally, the Wildcats posted a combined 2-5 record in two 3-day tourneys. They went 1-3 during the Round Valley tourney on Dec. 7-9 and 1-2 during the EAC tourney on Dec. 27-29. The wins were over Heber Mogollon (37-28, Dec. 7) and Valley Union (60-40, Dec. 29) while the losses were to Saint Johns (29-55, Dec. 7), Whiteriver Alchesay (17-59, Dec. 8), Holbrook (46-47, Dec. 8), Saint David (33-35, Dec. 27) and Safford (38-45, Dec. 28).
Morenci’s roster includes seniors Ciantae Dosela (24), Anita Gonzalez (11), Aniyah Fallow (14), and Elena Leonard (5); juniors Sway Cordova (2), Talia McCabe (1), Tayah Wilkes (4), and Jayla Wilson (3); sophomores Adriana Carbajal (12), Rozlyn Funari (10), and Jaliyah Hernandez (44); and freshmen Tiara Jones (20) and Mayeli Salazar (13).
2A East Region Standings
The 2A East Region standings following 39 games through Feb. 1 are Pima (21-4 overall, 11-0 region) first, Morenci (14-10, 9-2) second, Tombstone (16-11, 6-5) third, Benson (14-12, 5-6) fourth, Willcox (9-15*, 4-7) fifth, Bisbee (8-10, 4-8) sixth, and Tucson Santa Rita (1-20, 0-11) seventh.
Pima (11-0) has region wins over Willcox (69-14, Dec. 1), Tombstone (56-33, Dec. 12), Bisbee (67-24, Dec. 15), Santa Rita (57-4, Jan. 8), Benson (72-9, Jan. 19), Morenci (69-25, Jan. 11), Tombstone (62-19, Jan. 19), Bisbee (67-34, Jan. 23), Willcox (64-37, Jan. 29), Benson (47-21, Jan. 31), and Santa Rita (79-6, Feb. 1). The No. 3 Roughriders (15-2 seeding, 16.2389 rating) are averaging a 55-29 (1,367-714) score per game or a 24-point margin through 25 games.
Morenci (9-2) has region wins over Willcox (50-45, Dec. 6), Santa Rita (57-43, Dec. 12), Benson (53-41, Dec. 18), Tombstone (53-40, Jan. 5), Bisbee (51-33, Jan. 8), Tombstone (54-44, Jan. 12), Willcox (60-47, Jan. 16), Santa Rita (62-25, Jan. 19), and Bisbee (56-44, Feb. 1). The No. 11 Wildcats (12-5 seeding, 7.0053 rating) are averaging a 45-42 (1,090-996) score per game or a 3-point margin through 24 games.
Tombstone (6-5) has region wins over Bisbee (63-31, Dec. 7), Willcox (49-41, Dec. 19), Bisbee (59-41, Jan. 16), Willcox (53-33, Jan. 23), Santa Rita (58-11, Jan. 26), and Santa Rita (66-17, Jan. 31). The No. 15 Yellow Jackets (10-7 seeding, 4.5651 rating) are averaging a 42-37 (1,129-1,001) score per game or a 5-point margin through 27 games.
Benson (5-6) has region wins over Santa Rita (56-8, Dec. 7), Bisbee (49-41, Dec. 12), Tombstone (82-35, Jan. 11), Santa Rita (62-24, Jan. 16), and Morenci (46-43, Jan. 19). The No. 20 Bobcats (8-8 seeding, minus 0.0920 rating) are averaging a 48-40 (1,250-1,045) score per game or an 8-point margin through 26 games.
Willcox (4-7) has region wins over Tombstone (58-50, Dec. 19), Benson (59-46, Jan. 8), Santa Rita (57-19, Jan. 11), and Benson (57-38, Feb. 1). The No. 24 Cowgirls (7-9 seeding, minus 0.3734 rating) are averaging a 41-45 (992-1,079) score per game or a 4-point deficit through 24 games.
Bisbee (4-8) has region wins over Santa Rita (58-16, Jan. 5), Benson (36-30, Jan. 19), Willcox (47-35, Jan. 26), and Santa Rita (73-43, Jan. 29). The No. 28 Pumas (6-12 seeding, minus 3.8011 rating) are averaging a 38-45 (834-994) score per game or a 7-point deficit through 22 games.
Santa Rita (0-11) has yet to win a regional game. The No. 40 Eagles (1-15 seeding, minus 15.7012 rating) are averaging a 22-59 (457-1,242) score per game or a 37-point deficit through 21 games.
2A State Rankings
The 2A state rankings as of noon on Feb. 1 had 5-7 (.714) from the East Region in the Top 24, 4-6 (.667) teams from both the Metro and Valley Regions, 3-5 (.600) from the Central Region, 3-6 (.500) from the West Region, 3-7 (.429) from the North Region, and 2-6 (.333) from the South Region.
Phoenix Country Day School was No. 1 (14-1 seeding, 17.9580 rating), Miami No. 2 (16-1, 17.0359), Pima No. 3 (15-2, 16.2389), San Carlos No. 4 (16-2, 15.7823), Glendale Prep No. 5 (12-1, 15.1349), Saint Johns No. 6 (15-3, 12.9686), Phoenix Horizon Honors No. 7 (14-2, 11.9932), Phoenix Arizona Lutheran No. 8 (14-2, 11.3880), Morenci No. 9 (11-5, 7.0053), and Bullhead City Mohave Accelerated No. 10 (11-3, 6.4030).
Eagar Round Valley was No. 11 (11-6, 5.9025), Gilbert Leading Edge No. 12 (11-6, 5.4401), Scottsdale Prep No. 13 (13-5, 5.1147), Tombstone No. 14 (10-7, 4.5651), Flagstaff Northland Prep No. 15 (8-5, 4.5419), Tucson Saint Augustine Catholic No. 16 (14-3, 4.4540), Phoenix Basis No. 17 (12-3, 4.1743), Sanders Valley No. 18 (9-8, 3.4247), Gilbert Classical No. 19 (11-7, 3.2687), and Phoenix Veritas Prep No. 20 (10-6, 2.6324).
Scottsdale Rancho Solano Prep was No. 21 (7-6, 2.0912), Kingman Academy No. 22 (9-5, 0.5060), Benson No. 23 (8-8, minus 0.-9420), and Willcox No. 24 (7-9, minus 0.3734).
Initial rankings on Jan. 9 had San Carlos No. 1 (10-1 seeding, 16.3606 rating), Miami No. 2 (9-1, 15.8087), Horizon Honors No. 3 (6-1, 14.3096), Phoenix Country Day No. 4 (4-1, 13.5137), Saint Johns No. 5 (8-2, 12.8585), Pima No. 6 (5-1, 12.6765), Mohave Accelerated No. 7 (8-0, 12.6258), Glendale Prep No. 8 (6-1, 11.0778), Morenci No. 9 (6-3, 7.9531), and Scottsdale Prep was No. 10 (8-1, 7.9307).
Saint Augustine was No. 11 (7-1, 6.7870), Round Valley No. 12 (6-4, 6.3857), Leading Edge No. 13 (8-4, 5.4945), Rancho Solano Prep No. 14 (6-2, 5.1160), Valley No. 15 (6-4, 4.6699), Gilbert Classical No. 16 (8-4, 4.6347), Tombstone No. 17 (4-4, 4.5384), Arizona Lutheran No. 18 (5-2, 4.4131), Kingman Academy No. 19 (6-1, 4.3404), and Benson No. 20 (5-2, 3.4714).
Willcox was No. 21 (5-5, 2.2527), Veritas Prep No. 22 (5-3, 1.7475), Many Farms No. 23 (7-5, 0.1825), and Saint John Paul II No. 24 (5-4, minus 0.7785).
Morenci – 83, San Miguel Catholic – 19
The visiting Wildcats jumped out to a 32-5 opening quarter advantage and never relinquished the lead, adding double figures in each of the other three quarters. Morenci led 49-16 at halftime and 65-15 heading into the fourth quarter.
For the game, Morenci connected on 36 field goals (three 3-pointers) plus 3-3 free throws compared to seven field goals (four 3-pointers) plus 1-3 free throws by San Miguel. Ten of the 12 Wildcats suited up contributed to the scoring total.
Leonard (5) had a team and game-high 20 points on eight field goals plus 4-5 free throws, Dosela (24) 11 on five field goals (one 3-pointer), Carbajal (12) 11 on five field goals (one 3-pointer) plus 0-8 free throws, and Wilson (3) 10 on five field goals. Cordova (2) added nine points, Funari (10) seven, Salazar (13) six, McCabe (1) five, and both Gonzalez (11) and Wilkes (3) two each.
Wilson made 8-15 assists; Leonard had 5-24 steals, and both Cordova and Wilson had four apiece; Wilkes had 5-38 rebounds, and Funari, Hernandez, and Wilson four each.
For San Miguel, junior Jordyn Wong (23) had a team-high 14 points on five field goals (one 3-pointer). Virginia Pardo (23) and Maria Tapia (3) added two points apiece and Ashley Almazan (32) one.
Morenci – 56, Bisbee – 44
Trailing 14-19 following the opening quarter on a neutral court, the visiting Wildcats outscored their host 18-10 in the second quarter to take a 32-29 advantage into the mid-game break. The second of two Funari (10) free throws gave Morenci a 26-25 edge with 3:21 left in the first half, and the black-clad girls would not relinquish the lead during the remainder of the game.
The Wildcats went on a 9-0 run to start the second half, leading by 12, 41-29, with 2:58 elapsed. Bisbee countered with an 11-4 run to get within five, 40-45 with 2:12 left in the third quarter, but no closer. Morenci led 47-40 heading into the fourth quarter.
Bisbee got within six twice (42-48, 44-50) during the initial 2:14 of the fourth quarter, but Morenci went 6-0 during the final 2:32 for the double-digit final score.
Morenci totaled 20 field goals (three 3-pointers) plus 13-21 free throws versus 18 field goals (six 3-pointers) plus 2-10 free throws by Bisbee.
Funari (10) had a team and game-high 18 points on seven field goals plus 4-6 free throws, Leonard (5) 15 on five field goals (two 3-pointers) plus 3-6 free throws, and Jones (20) 10 on four field goals plus 2-2 free throws. Wilson (3) added six points, Carbajal (12) four, and Cordova (2) three.
Wilson had 4-11 assists; Leonard made 7-23 steals, Wilson six, and Jones four; Funari tallied 14-33 rebounds, Jones 10, and Wilson five; and Jones made 6-8 blocks.
For Bisbee, sophomore Alyssa Lopez (11) netted 13 points on four 3-pointers plus 1-2 free throws. Junior Yaslin Hernandez (15) added nine points, senior Janitzia Avechuco (4) eight, senior Bella Banuett (10) six, sophomore Nicole Ceja (3) four, and both senior Naelani Borbon (34) and junior Isabella Solis (23) two each.
Morenci – 61, San Tan Charter – 28
The Wildcats led 20-5 following the first quarter and 25-7 before the visiting Roadrunners reached double figures. They did so on sophomore Alanna Ricks-Williams’ 3-pointer with 3:22 elapsed in the second quarter. The Wildcats added a 16-8 second-quarter effort to lead 36-13 at halftime and a three-quarters 45-24 score favored them. San Tan Charter scored in double figures during one of four quarters while Morenci did so in three of four.
For the game, the Wildcats connected on 29 field goals plus 3-10 free throws compared to nine field goals (one 3-pointer) plus 9-14 free throws by the Roadrunners.
Leonard (5) had 11 points on five field goals plus 1-2 free throws and Salazar (13) had 11 on five field goals plus 1-4 free throws. Funari (10) added nine points, Wilson (3) eight, Jones (20) six, Dosela (24), Wilkes (4), and Carbajal (12) four apiece, and Hernandez (44) and McCabe (1) two each.
Funari and Salazar both had 3-14 assists; Wilson made 8-37 steals and Leonard seven; Jones had 6-25 rebounds and Leonard five; and Salazar had 3-6 blocks.
For San Tan Charter, junior Kyleigh Mason (13) had nine points, Ricks-Williams (24) eight, sophomore Jasmyn Dickerson (12) seven, and both senior Mya Abbiatti (5) and sophomore Elliana Garcia (4) two apiece.
Benson – 46, Morenci – 43
The visiting Wildcats outscored their host 17-10 in the fourth quarter, forcing a 43-43 tie with eight seconds remaining to play.
Benson inbounded the ball and junior Rylee Deskins connected on a long-distance dial in the closing seconds. The clock reached zero, game over, Bobcats win.
The Bobcats led 8-6 following the first quarter, 17-13 at halftime, and 33-26 heading into the fourth quarter.
Morenci totaled 17 field goals plus 9-15 free throws versus 18 field goals (three 3-pointers) plus 5-9 free throws by Benson.
Funari (10) had a season-high 21 points on nine field goals plus 3-3 free throws. Jones (20) added seven points, Cordova (2) and Wilson (3) six apiece, Salazar two (13), and Carbajal (12) one.
Dosela made 3-8 assists; Wilson made 7-21 steals; Jones had 7-28 rebounds, Dosela six, and both Funari and Wilson four each.
For Benson, junior Kaylei Taylor (23) had a game-high 22 points on nine field goals (one 3-pointer) plus 3-3 free throws, and junior Aubrey Moon (24) 10 on four field goals (one 3-pointer) plus 1-4 free throws. Deskins (2) added seven points, senior Irene Hernandez (42), junior Jadalyn De la Cruz (5), and sophomore Paisley Harmon (22) two apiece, and sophomore Jordan Rone (21) one.
Taylor had 7-19 steals and 10-39 rebounds; and Deskins, Hernandez, and Rone had six rebounds apiece.
Morenci – 62, Santa Rita – 27
The Wildcats scored in double figures during each of the four quarters while the Eagles did so in only one, reaching double figures with 37 seconds elapsed in the second quarter.
Morenci led 13-8 after the first quarter, 31-14 at halftime, and 45-26 heading into the fourth quarter. The Wildcats had a 35-point advantage when the game was called with 1:38 remaining.
The Wildcats totaled 23 field goals (two 3-pointers) plus 14-28 free throws compared to 10 field goals (four 3-pointers) plus 3-8 free throws by the Eagles.
Funari (10) tallied a team-high 15 points on six field goals plus 3-6 free throws, Jones (20) 14 on four field goals plus 6-11 free throws, and Leonard (5) 12 on four field goals (one 3-pointer) plus 3-4 free throws. Dosela (24) added nine points, Fallow (14) four, and Wilson (3), McCabe (1), Carbajal (12), and Salazar (13) two apiece.
Wilson made 9-16 assists and 5-23 steals; Leonard had four steals; and both Fallow and Funari had 8-42 rebounds, Jones six, and both Wilkes and Wilson four apiece.
For Santa Rita, senior Jayla Braham (11) netted 16 points on six field goals (four 3-pointers) plus 0-2 free throws. Junior Kayiden Taylor (3) added six points, junior Naima Gomez (4) three, and senior Amaris Shay (13) two.
Morenci – 60, Willcox – 47
The Cowgirls led 15-13 following the opening quarter, but the halftime score favored Morenci 27-26. The Wildcats returned from the break with a 26-9 third-quarter effort to lead 53-35 heading into the fourth quarter.
For the game, Morenci connected on 23 field goals (three 3-pointers) plus 11-25 free throws compared to 19 field goals (five 3-pointers) plus 4-12 free throws by Willcox.
Funari (10) totaled a team and game-high 16 points on seven field goals plus 2-4 free throws, Jones (20) 13 on five field goals plus 3-8 free throws, and Leonard (5) 12 on four field goals plus 4-11 free throws. Dosela (24), Wilson (3), and Salazar (13) added five points apiece, Fallow (14) and Carbajal (12) two each.
Wilson totaled 4-13 assists; Leonard made 8-20 steals and Wilson four; Funari pulled down 12-41 rebounds, Jones 11, and both Leonard and Wilson six each; and Jones made 2-4 blocks.
For Willcox, junior Maddie Bennett (14) had 12 points on six field goals, sophomore Addison Burright (11) 10 on three field goals (two 3-pointers) plus 2-4 free throws, and freshman Paislee Adams (13) 10 on four field goals (two 3-pointers) plus 0-4 free throws. Senior Mia Mungarro (4) added eight points, junior Gabriela Galaz (15) three, and both junior Layla Donahue (10) and sophomore Kennedy Ebert (12) two apiece.
