Rams start new year with two wins in three games

The Maricopa High School girls basketball team started the new year on a high note, beating Santa Cruz High School (55-48) and Florence High School (41-29) in the first week of January.

Maricopa (6-11) improved to 3-4 in league play, putting them in fifth place. Globe was the last team the Rams had to face before starting the second round of league play, which starts with a home game against Empire (2-13). Maricopa beat the Ravens 50-22 in their first meeting on Dec. 21, 2007.

Coach Jenn Miller said the team finally got into a grove on offense in their game against Santa Cruz, but still struggled on defense. Brittany Parks scored 19 points in the win, followed by Andrea Esposito with 16 points.

“The girls went down there and got the job done,” Miller said.

In the Florence game (3-12), Miller said several players helped to get the win after a slow start that lasted through the first half. Parks and Marissa Lubag lead the team in points and rebounds with 15 points, 11 rebounds; and 13 points, 13 rebounds respectively.

According to Miller, when the Gophers started pressuring Parks, Amanda Hamm stepped up and knocked down a couple shots to boost the team to victory.

“Everyone stepped up and did their job,” Miller said.

But the fun stopped there, when the Rams were mauled by the Globe Tigers in an 88-44 loss. With a five-game winning streak, Globe (19-2) sits atop the 3A South League with a 6-1 record against division opponents.

Miller said the team knew going into the game the Tigers would be aggressive and confident, which caused most of her team to play scared. Despite a resurgence in the third quarter, Miller said the team could not climb out of the hole they had dug themselves into during the first half. Poor passing caused most of the 35 turnovers for Maricopa, which Miller said nearly always meant a basket for Globe.

“The bottom line is they took advantage of our mistakes,” Miller said.

Maricopa will get a chance to sweep Empire for the season when the Rams and Ravens face off Friday night.

If you go:
What: Maricopa vs. Empire
Time: 7 p.m.
When: Friday
Where: Maricopa High School, 45012 W. Honeycutt Ave.
Cost: $5 adults, $3 students

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