Photo:10 Bella Abt gets challenged on her shot
It had been quite some time since the Prescott Lady Badgers had a playoff game. In fact it was the 2015-16 season when Prescott won a first round game over Flagstaff, then losing to Sierra Linda in the quarterfinal round in Glendale, finishing (22-4) that year.
Fast forward past some lean years and the current Lady Badgers are shining on the court. Prescott came out and took care of business with a hard fought 62-45 win over the Coconino Panthers. It was the third meeting between the schools, with each team winning on their home court.
The final score was not indicative of the actual game. Lilly James knocked down a three point shot for a 3-0 lead. It soon became a battle of runs, as Prescott opened up leads early of 6-2, 12-6, and 18-12. Each time though the Panthers would come back to tie the game. Coconino’s first lead came on a three pointer by Aviana Scharfenberger a tick after the shot clock expired breaking a tie at 19. No horn ever sounded and the basket was counted. Addie Prisciandaro came back quickly with a bucket as the half ended, but the Panthers still led 22-21 at the half.
Prescott came out in the third and quickly took the lead 26-22 on baskets by Prisciandaro and Abt. The Lady Badgers led 31-24, but those pesky Panthers came right back yet again to tie the game at 32. Rylee Hobson scored two of her nine points to give the home team a 38-32 lead, but a three by Scharfenberger made the score 38-35 at the end of the third quarter.
Photo:30 Ruby Jensen
The final quarter saw the Lady Badgers run away with the game as the starting five all scored points to grow the lead. The Panthers could not find an answer and Prescott won the game going away.
Bella Abt, finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, said, “That was a battle tonight. Both teams working hard and we were just able to put it all together in the second half. We finally found a way to get a lead that they could not come back from. Proud of the way be played tonight.”
Addie Prisciandaro, who led the Lady Badgers with 26 points, said, “This was a game we really wanted tonight. We played hard and they did too, but we were able to put it all together in fourth quarter. Our team continues to grow and just looking forward to our next game. It does not matter who we play. We are just happy to be moving on.”
Junior, Aviana Scharfenberger had a big game, scoring 32 of the 45 Panther’s points.
The Lady Badgers have won five in a row and improve to (18-8) while Coconino ends their season at (12-13). Prescott, seeded #14, will travel to Flagstaff to face the #3 Eagles (19-3), in an opening round game on Tuesday at 7 pm.
PRESCOTT LADY BADGERS 62, COCONINO PANTHERS 45
COCONINO (45)-Lee 1 0-2 3,Laughter 1 1-2 3, Paddick 1 1-2 3, Sharfenberger 14 1-2 32, Larson 2 0-0 4, Ashley 0 0-0 0, Tso 0 0-0 0, Cardenas 0 0-0 0, Sherlock 0 0-0 0, Newsom 0 0-0 0. 19 3-8 45.
PRESCOTT (62)-Prisciandaro 10 4-4 26, James 3 0-2 7, Abt 6 3-6 16, Hobson 2 5-6 9, Jensen 1 1-4 3, Libis 0 0-0 0, Little 1 0-0 2, Murdock 0 0-0 0, Cunningham 0 0-0 0. 23 13-22 62.
Score by Quarters- 1 2 3 4 – T
Coconino 8 14 13 10 – 45
Prescott 11 10 17 24 – 62
Total Fouls-C 16, P 8
Fouled Out-None
Three Point Baskets- C(4)-Scharfenberger 3, Lee 1. P(4)-Priscianadaro 2, James 1, Abt 1.
PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD
4A Play-In Round
Prescott 62, Coconino 45
Eastmark 53, Bradshaw Mountain 18
Flowing Wells 77, Thunderbird 20
Paradise Honors 52, Poston Butte 49
Pueblo 65, St. Mary’s 49
Peoria 48, Douglas 47
Saguaro 69, ALA-Queen Creek 30
Sahuarita 49, Mingus 43
OPEN DIVISION-Round Two
Desert Vista 57, Dobson 26
Gilbert 63, Williams Field 34
Hamilton 53, Sandra day O’Connor 31
Pinnacle 58, Flagstaff 56
Seton Catholic Prep 54, Sunrise Mountain 22
Sunnyslope 63, Millennium 56
Valley Vista 69, Salpointe Catholic 58
Xavier Prep 83, Sahuaro 45
