Rams girls blow by Falcons, get set for playoffs

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The Maricopa High School girls basketball team celebrated their seniors Friday night by defeating Fountain Hills 54-38, ending the season undefeated in regional play, and winning the final game played in the 50-year history of the old gymnasium at the school.

Before the game, seniors Jasmine Melvin, Arelle Fife, Sam Garay, Charm Muhammed, Erin Litchfield and Karla Torres were escorted onto the court by their parents, where they were recognized for their contributions to the team. Each was given a rose by the coaching staff, and a red and black mini-basketball by Litchfield to help them remember the season in years to come.

Yet on Senior Night, it a freshman, Julia Dickerson, and a junior, Brittany Parks, that led the Rams to victory. Dickerson scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds, and Parks scored 13 points and had five steals despite having limited playing time in the first half because of early foul trouble.

In stark contrast to their last game, the Rams jumped out to an early lead and really left little to doubt. After winning the opening tipoff, Dickerson scored the game’s opening points in just four seconds. The Rams also started strong on the defensive side, logging steals on the first two Falcons possessions, both leading to points on the other end.

“Our defense is probably 90 percent of our offense,” said coach Jen Miller. “When we’re able to come out and put pressure on the other team, it really opens up a lot for us offensively.”

Using their pressure defense, the Rams jumped out to a 14-5 first-quarter lead.

The Falcons turned up their offensive output in the second quarter, more than doubling their scoring over the opening quarter. But the Rams padded their lead on the play of Dickerson. Much of the Rams’ second-quarter scoring came after Parks returned to the game with a little more than three minutes remaining in the half. Stopping the Falcons on three consecutive possessions, the Rams turned steals or rebounds into quick points the other way.

At the 2:03 mark, Litchfield pulled down a rebound and made a quick outlet pass to a streaking Dickerson, who scored on an uncontested layup. 13 seconds later, Dickerson stole the ball down low and passed the ball nearly three-quarters of the length of the court to Parks, who was fouled on her successful shot. After completing the three-point play, Dickerson and Parks then duplicated the effort on a near-carbon copy of the play.

Freshman Paige Provost drained a 3-point shot, followed quickly by a steal and score by Dickerson to finish the second. Going into the locker room, the Rams led 32-16.

The Rams started the second half with nearly the same speed and intensity of the first. But it did not lead to any points until nearly a minute into the half when junior Amanda Hamm scored her only points of the game on a 3-point shot from the top of the arc. The Rams used this score as a springboard, with Provost and Parks leading the way on both ends of the court. After three quarters of play, the lead was stretched to 44-21.

A 23-point lead allowed Miller to make sure all of her players received playing time in the closing minutes of the third quarter and for most of the fourth as well. With players rotating in with regularity, the Rams’ offensive output slowed down, but it allowed Muhammed and Fife chances to score in their final regular-season game with the Rams. Torres logged a steal and rebound, while Garay blocked a shot and stole the ball once.

Although the Falcons were able to score 17 points in the final period of play, the Rams had already built enough of a cushion to their lead and scored just enough to keep the game out of reach.

With the win, the Rams ended the regular season with a record of 20-2, and a perfect record of 14-0 in 3A South Region play. Maricopa also secured the No. 2 spot in the final state power-points rankings.

The Rams will open the playoffs at home on Friday, Feb. 20, against No. 15 Goodyear Estrella Foothills, which ended its regular season with a loss to Wickenburg on Friday night.

“I spoke to (Maricopa Unified School District business manager Burnie) Hibbard,” Miller said, “and he informed me that the new gym is finished and that we can play there next week. The girls are super excited about it!”

Photo submitted by Rick Litchfield