Senior Raegene Womack has been bothered by a knee injury this season while helping the Rams to an 8-3 record. Photo by William Lange

At the halfway point of the season, the Maricopa High School girls’ basketball team is in good position to make a playoff run, but injuries are depleting the already thin roster.

The Rams have an 8-3 record after dropping Friday night’s game against Mesa High School, 50-30. The undefeated Jackrabbits controlled the ball for most of the game and shut down Maricopa’s ability to transition. A poor shooting performance also doomed the Rams.

“We’ve become a bit too dependent on certain players to give us that boost,” head coach Melvin Mitchell said. “We’ve had that problem for the last two games now and we just want to try and go back and fix it.”

Friday’s loss was the second loss this week for Maricopa. The Rams fell to Arizona Interscholastic Association Division I powerhouse Mesquite on Monday. The loss also cost the Rams two players.

Senior guard Danae Ruiz suffered a concussion in a loose-ball collision, and junior forward Tyra Williams needed surgery to fix her finger after it was inadvertently stepped on. The injury may keep Williams out for the rest of the season.

“We’re spread a little thin with some nagging injuries,” Mitchell said. “Tyra is out, Danae is out and Raegene (Womack) has been nursing a knee injury throughout the season. I think those things didn’t necessarily come into play tonight, but in terms of our depth, it just wasn’t there to give our other players a breather.”

The Rams will receive some much-needed rest before they compete in Valley Christian High School’s holiday tournament Dec 28-30.

Coach Mitchell plans to focus on ball handling over winter break.

“We definitely can’t hold onto the basketball,” Mitchell said. “We’ve become too accustomed to coming out on a fast break when we play some of the teams we can get on a break on. Against some of these better teams like Mesquite and Mesa it just wasn’t there.”

For more game photos and other sports and community galleries, see https://www.inmaricopa.com/photos/

Adam Wolfe
Adam Wolfe
http://inmaricopa.com
Adam was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but spent the majority of his young life in Lakeside, Arizona. After graduating from Blue Ridge High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He has been working in the field of journalism since 2010. Adam has worked in a wide range of fields including professional sports and international media relations. He has also been a breaking news reporter, sports columnist, government reporter and community reporter. He spent a year in Denver, Colorado before coming to Maricopa in 2015. In his spare time, he will often be found enjoying the great outdoors. If he isn’t hiking or fishing, he is likely hopelessly cheering on his Arizona sports teams. Adam was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but spent the majority of his young life in Lakeside, Arizona. After graduating from Blue Ridge High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He has been working in the field of journalism since 2010. Adam has worked in a wide range of fields including professional sports and international media relations. He has also been a breaking news reporter, sports columnist, government reporter and community reporter. He spent a year in Denver, Colorado before coming to Maricopa in 2015. In his spare time, he will often be found enjoying the great outdoors. If he isn’t hiking or fishing, he is likely hopelessly cheering on his Arizona sports teams. Adam was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but spent the majority of his young life in Lakeside, Arizona. After graduating from Blue Ridge High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He has been working in the field of journalism since 2010. Adam has worked in a wide range of fields including professional sports and international media relations. He has also been a breaking news reporter, sports columnist, government reporter and community reporter. He spent a year in Denver, Colorado before coming to Maricopa in 2015. In his spare time, he will often be found enjoying the great outdoors. If he isn’t hiking or fishing, he is likely hopelessly cheering on his Arizona sports teams.
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