While it was all tied up 18-18 at halftime, the Ash Fork Spartans were not quite the Williams Vikings's equal in the second half on Friday. Ash Fork took a 49-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of Williams. Ash Fork's loss continues an unfortunate trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Despite the loss, Ash Fork had strong showings from Gracie Staples, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Violeta Trujillo, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Williams was led to victory by Kai Mortensen and Braydyn Larimore. Mortensen scored 15 points along with six steals and three blocks, while Larimore scored 17 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Mortensen is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last six games she's played. Kenzie Orozco was another key contributor, scoring five points along with eight steals.
Ash Fork has not been sharp recently, as they've lost nine of their last 12 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-15 record this season. As for Williams, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 11-9.
Ash Fork will head out on the road to challenge Seligman at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Seligman comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 24 points in their last nine games, a trend the squad is of course eager to reverse. Williams won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Fredonia at 2:00 p.m. on January 13th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Arizona (Fredonia is ranked 205th, while Williams is ranked 193rd).
