Nuguid carries Lady Rams to a 65-35 win

It was deja vu for the Tonopah Valley Phoenix Tuesday night as the Lady Rams defeated them 65-35 for a second time this year. This was their first match-up since the Rams defeated the Phoenix 65-36 in the semifinals of the Copa Classic in December.

Lady Ram point guard Yvonne “Yo” Nuguid, led the aggressive defense and the up-tempo offensive attack with 33 points on the night.

Tonopah was first on the board when scrappy guard Vivian Hernandez drove though the lane for a lay in off the glass. During Tonopah’s next possession, Lady Ram guard Sarah Scofield grabbed the defensive rebound and fired an outlet pass to Nuguid, who advanced the fast break with a behind-the-back pass to Jessica Schwanbeck for an easy lay up.

Tonopah bounced back when Hernandez drove to the basket for another lay-in off the glass, tying the game at 4-4.

Maricopa’s Brittany Parks (#11) shoots from the charity stripe on a technical foul Tuesday night in the first half against Tonopah Valley.

The Lady Ram defense kicked it up a notch when Brittany Parks stole the ball and drove coast-to-coast for an easy lay-up. The next time down, Parks picked up another defensive steal, ran the break and dished to Nuguid for the lay-in and a 12-4 lead. The Lady Ram defense led to another fast break opportunity when Kayla Valisto grabbed the defensive rebound and fired an outlet pass to Nuguid for the lay-in, ending the first quarter with a 18-4 score.

The second quarter opened with Tonopah scoring on back-to-back offense possessions. Lady Ram Nuguid answered back from long distance knocking down a three from the wing. Ram running-mate Schwanbeck swished a 15-foot jumper and, on the next offensive possession, grabbed the rebound and went back up strong for two in the paint.

The Lady Ram’s Parks continued her solid defensive play with another steal and was subsequently fouled hard on the lay-in attempt. Parks knocked down both free throws giving the Lady Rams a 31-12 lead at the half.

The third quarter opened with Nuguid driving through the lane for a bucket off the glass. Nuguid then drove the baseline and dished to Danielle Heidema in the lane for a short jumper. She later knocked down a three off the inbound pass, giving the Lady Rams a 40-14 lead.

Defensive rebounding continued to give the Lady Rams great fast break opportunities. Parks grabbed a rebound and fired an outlet pass to Nuguid, who dished to Schwanbeck under the hoop for two. With time winding down in the third quarter, Nuguid launched a three from the wing to close out the third quarter with a commanding 47-19 lead.

Schwanbeck started the fourth quarter with a put-back for two off Nuguid’s miss. Nuguid continued to dominate the defensive end as she stole the ball and drove to the hoop for an easy lay in. Late in the quarter, Nuguid knocked down another three from the wing, giving the Lady Rams a 56-24 advantage.

Maricopa’s Yvonne “Yo” Nuguid (#33) drives to the hoop in the fourth quarter.

Rams Karla Torres and Trish Parker came off the bench to contribute to the offensive onslaught. Torres put back an offensive rebound for two from down low and Parker drained a three from the wing. Nuguid’s lights-outs shooting carried the Lady Rams to a 65-35 victory.

Do-it-all guard Nuguid led the Rams with 33 points, followed by Schwanbeck’s 10, Parks with 5, Heidema with 4, Valisto with 4, Parker with 3 and Torres, Scofield and Vanessa Aguirre all adding 2 points.

The Lady Rams are 8-2 in 2A West Regional play. Tonight is the last home game for the Lady Rams as they host Baboquivari at 7 p.m.

Lady Ram Jessica Schwanbeck (#34) shoots a jumper in the third quarter.


Lady Ram Brittany Parks (#11) dishes a pass on a fast break during the second half Tuesday night.

Photos by Jeremy Knop