MHS girls’ basketball team 2nd in holiday tournament (video)

The Maricopa High School girls’ basketball team took second place in the 15th annual Valley Christian Christmas Tournament Wednesday. The team’s record is 12-4.

The Rams ran through their competition on the way to the championship game. They defeated Tempe 60-28, Snowflake 49-28, Poston Butte 46-33, and Holbrook 65-35.

In the championship, a slow start on offense put Maricopa in an early hole. Missed shots, especially from the free-throw line, cost the Rams crucial points late in the game, and Valley Christian held off Maricopa’s hard-fought comeback.

“We had a slow start, and that’s been pretty indicative of our team this year,” head coach Melvin Mitchell said. “They also ran a 1-2-2 press, and we had a bit of difficulty with that before we figured it out. So we ended up being down before we knew it in the game.”

The Rams put themselves in a bind after scoring just four points in the first quarter. Struggles from the free throw line attributed to the scoring drought, but strong defensive play kept Maricopa within seven points.

The Rams were able to exploit holes in the Trojans’ defense during the second quarter. By halftime, Maricopa seemed to have the momentum despite trailing the tournament hosts 27-21.

“Valley Christian knew us very well,” Mitchell said. “We’ve played Valley Christian already three times this year. There was no scouting necessarily to be done because we played each other numerous times already.”

The Rams came out of halftime firing on all cylinders. A 10-2 run to open up the second half gave Maricopa their first lead since the second minute of play. The Rams looked nearly unstoppable as they ran up and down the floor, but that came to a halt when senior guard Danae Ruiz received her fourth foul and had to sit out for the last five minutes of the third quarter.

Maricopa didn’t score another point in the third quarter, and Valley Christian slowly broke down the Rams’ defense. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Trojans were back on top 36-31.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle. The Trojans held off the feisty Rams, but with 30 seconds remaining, Maricopa was within two points. A backcourt violation against Valley Christian gave the Rams the ball.

Maricopa worked the ball around until Ruiz found a lane to the basket. Her shot was off target, but senior forward Raegene Womack grabbed the rebound and had an open look for the tying score. The shot had too much power and bounced off the rim.

Valley Christian held on for a 49-43 victory.

“It’s hard to beat a team three times,” Mitchell said. “Heading forward we need to get back to the basics. We need to go back and work on our free throws. The girls are 80 percent in practice, but it’s an area we definitely need to work on.”

Despite missing much of the second half, Ruiz led the team with 16 points. Womack, who was consistently sent to the free-throw line, added 12 points. Both were named to the “All-Tournament” team for their dominant performances throughout the week.

Maricopa will return to action Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. at Seton Catholic High School in Chandler. This is the first time the two teams have met since the state championship game last year.

The Rams will stay on the road for their matchup against Desert Mountain High School (Scottsdale) on Jan. 8 and Campo Verde High School (Gilbert) Jan. 12.

Maricopa won’t return home until they host Queen Creek High School on Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.