Basketball Recap: Willow Canyon Falls Short of Catalina Foothills in the Playoffs

It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Willow Canyon can now relate to. They were outmatched by the Catalina Foothills Falcons and fell 77-43. The Wildcats' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

Kandace O'Connell

Steals

12/27/24 vs Moon Valley	8
12/03/24 vs Lake Havasu	8
11/26/24 @ Lake Havasu	8
02/13/25 vs Ironwood	7
02/10/25 vs Centennial	7
+ 19 more games

Willow Canyon lost on Thursday despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Kandace O'Connell, who went 5-for-11 to rack up 14 points and five steals. She has become a key player for Willow Canyon: the team is 12-2 when she posts at least five steals, but 3-7 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Jailynn Pope, who posted 16 points and four steals.

Even though they lost, Willow Canyon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds every time they've taken the court this season.

Willow Canyon's defeat dropped their record down to 15-9. As for Catalina Foothills, they pushed their record up to 22-6 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home.

Willow Canyon does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Catalina Foothills, they have already played their next matchup, a 63-59 win against Notre Dame Prep on the 1st.