Lady Rams dominate; win Copa Classic at home

The Lady Rams ended 2006 in style by winning the annual Copa Classic Basketball Tournament. The two-day, eight-team tournament included teams from Antelope, Phoenix Country Day, Gila Bend, Tonopah Valley, Cibecue, San Pasqual and Academy of Tucson.

The Maricopa Lady Rams pose with their first place trophy after the championship game of the Copa Classic Basketball Tournament Thursday night.

From the tip off in game one of the Copa Classic, the Lady Rams had one thing in mind -keeping the first place trophy in Maricopa. The Lady Rams offense ran right by Academy of Tucson, 66 – 12, and three starters finished the game with double digit scoring. Ram post player Jessica Schwanbeck dominated the first quarter and finished with 15 points and three steals. Ram point guard Yvonne “Yo” Nuguid tallied 14 points, six steals and four assists while the other Ram guards, Danielle Heidema and Stacey Yarberry, finished the game with 11 and 9 points respectively.

In the second game of the Classic the Lady Rams looked to tame the Cibecue Wildcats. The game was close, but the Lady Ram offensive attack was too much for the Wildcats. The offense averaged 19 points per quarter, and the Rams went on to win 78 – 54. For the second time in as many games the Lady Rams had three starters scoring in double digits.

Kayla Valisto (#44) goes up for a rebound during the Copa Classic Basketball Tournament Thursday. Maricopa’s Lady Rams took first place in the girls’ division of the tournament. (photo courtesy of William Nuguid)

Floor general Nuguid dominated the game on both ends of the floor. She finished the game with 25 points, five assists and nine steals. Schwanbeck dropped in 23 points and had three defensive steals. Lady Ram forward and enforcer Kayla Valisto controlled the boards and chipped in 15 points down low.

In the tourney’s third game Maricopa’s Lady Rams locked horns with the Lady Rams of Antelope. The triple scoring threat of Nuguid, Schwanbeck and Valisto proved to be too much for Antelope. Nuguid was hot in the first quarter as she dropped in 14 points, including three three-pointers. She had a game high 23 points, six steals and five assists. Schwanbeck added 14 points, three blocks and two steals while Valisto chipped in 13. The Lady Rams from Maricopa doubled up on Antelope, 56 – 28.

Lady Ram Yvonne Nuguid (#33) drives the ball to the basket for a two-point conversion against Antelope Thursday in the Copa Classic Basketball Tournament. (photo courtesy of William Nuguid)

Jessica Schwanbeck (#34) looks for a cutter to pass the ball to. (photo courtesy of William Nuguid)

In the tournament semi-finals the Lady Rams met regional rival Tonopah Valley. Tonopah matched the Lady Rams point for point and had an early 19 – 16 lead behind the scoring of Tonopah guard Vivian Hernandez. The Lady Ram offense kicked into gear behind the shooting of Heidema, Nuguid and Schwanbeck.

Heidema drained a three-pointer from the wing, and Nuguid followed up her own miss with a bucket off the glass. Nuguid stole the inbound pass and made an easy two, and Schwanbeck nailed a short jumper from the baseline, giving the Lady Rams a 30 – 22 lead at the half. Nuguid had 13 points in the first half to lead the Lady Ram offensive attack. Tonopah kept it close behind the scoring of Hernandez, who finished the half with 12 points.

Coach Jen Miller‘s half-time speech must have inspired the Lady Rams because they came out in full force. Schwanbeck was fouled on the put-back attempt and made both shots from the charity stripe; then with a nice steal she found Nuguid for two off the glass. Schwanbeck knocked in another jumper from the baseline, stretching the lead to 39 – 26.

Valisto found Nuguid cutting to the basket for two off the glass. Nuguid drained back-to-back three-pointers from the wing to stretch the lead to 47 – 26. Nuguid found Yarberry with a nice bounce pass through the lane for an easy lay up. Nuguid wasn’t done distributing the ball yet as she found Valisto in the paint two more times. Schwanbeck knocked down another jumper in the paint to give the Lady Rams a 65 – 36 victory.

Nuguid had a game high 28 points, nine assists and four steals. Schwanbeck added 15 points. Valisto chipped in 10 points with three blocks, and Heidema also had 10 points, including two three-pointers. Lady Ram guard Sarah Scofield demonstrated both hustle and hard work in her hard-nosed play. Scofield fearlessly dove for loose balls while playing tough, tenacious defense. Tonopah’s Hernandez played hard and finished the game with 22 points.

The Lady Rams carried a 4 – 0 tournament record into the Copa Classic finals against the Cibecue Wildcats, whom the Lady Rams had beaten a day earlier, 78 – 54, in tournament play.

The Lady Ram offense was hot from the get go as Nuguid opened the game with a three-pointer from the wing; she grabbed the offensive rebound and put back for two. Heidema drained a three from the wing, giving the Lady Rams an 8 – 0 lead. Cibecue finally got on the board when Natasha Machuse drained a jumper in the lane.

Valisto found Nuguid cutting to the hoop for an easy lay in, and Nuguid returned the favor with a lob pass over the top to Valisto for an easy two. Nuguid also had a steal and a full court pass to Schwanbeck for an easy lay in, and Schwanbeck delivered with her patented jumper from ten feet out. Heidema knocked down her second three-pointer from the wing; then Nuguid found Heidema down low for two. At the end of the first quarter the Lady Rams had a 27 – 2 lead.

In the second quarter Valisto ran the give and go with Vanessa Aguirre, who laid it in for two. Aguirre chipped in another lay in for two. Schwanbeck converted on four free throw attempts and knocked down a jumper to give the Lady Rams a 39 – 8 half-time lead.

Jessica Schwanbeck (#34) of the Lady Rams shoots a free throw in the first half of the championship game.

Maricopa Lady Ram Vanessa Aguirre (#10) shoots a jump shot just inside the three-point line Thursday night in the first half of the championship game in the Copa Classic Basketball Tournament.

Cibecue opened up the third quarter with a lay in by Mervina Skidmore, a floater down the lane by Julie Dehose and lay in by Raquel Enriquez, but the Wildcats trailed 44 – 14. Nuguid blocked a shot and fired a pass to Schwanbeck, who nailed another baseline jumper for two. Cibecue’s Enriquez nailed a jumper in the paint, followed by Dehose, who drained a turnaround jumper in the lane for two. Cibecue’s Camille Banito knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to end the third quarter with the Wildcats trailing the Lady Rams 48 – 21.

Cibecue’s Enriquez nailed a jumper in the lane to open up the fourth quarter; then Lady Ram Amanda Hamm put a lay in off the glass. Lady Ram guard Alyssa Joaquin drained a jumper from eight feet out. Nuguid fired an outlet pass to Scofield for an easy lay up, and Schwanbeck hit another jumper from the wing, extending the lead to 56 – 25.

Nuguid found Lindsey Valles down low for two. Lady Ram Karla Torres drained the final jumper of the game, giving the Lady Rams a 64 – 28 victory and first place in the Copa Classic Basketball Tournament.

Lady Ram guard Sarah Scofield (#13) takes an outside shot from the perimeter in the second half of the championship game.

Lady Ram Amanda Hamm takes a two-point jump shot during the second half of Thursday night’s Copa Classic championship play.

The Lady Rams had two starters finish the game with double digit scoring. Point guard Yvonne “Yo” Nuguid finished the game with 20 points, nine assists and seven steals. Nuguid was just one assist and three steals short of a triple double. Ram post player Jessica Schwanbeck had 16 points, and Danielle Heidema had eight points, including two three-pointers. Both Kayla Valisto and Karla Torres had four points while Sarah Scofield, Vanessa Aguirre, Lindsey Valles, Alyssa Joaquin, Stacey Yarberry and Amanda Hamm all had two points.

Congratulations to the Lady Rams and Coach Miller on winning the Copa Classic.

The Lady Rams overall record now stands at 14 – 4. They open regional play at home on Friday, Jan. 5, against Antelope. Come out and support Maricopa’s Lady Rams as they look to make some noise in the 2A state tournament.

Remaining home games for the Lady Rams:

Jan 5 vs. Antelope
Jan 9 vs. San Pasqual
Jan 19 vs. Yuma Catholic
Jan 20 vs. Gila Bend
Jan 30 vs. Tonopah Valley
Feb 2 vs. Baboquivari

Photos by Jeremy Knop