It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Morenci Wildcats had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Cowboys 58-56. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Morenci's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tiara Jones led the charge by dropping a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds. Jones hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. Another player making a difference was Rozlyn Funari, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Several Cowboys players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Maddie Bennett, who dropped a triple-double on 11 points, 12 rebounds, and ten blocks. Bennett is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down nine or more in the last ten games she's played. Addison Burright was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 17 points and 21 rebounds.
Morenci is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-11 record this season. As for Willcox, they dropped their record down to 11-16 with that loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Morenci will challenge St. Johns at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Johns knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight matches -- so hopefully Morenci likes a good challenge. Willcox does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
