Photo: 1 Addie Prisciandaro scored 28 points in the win
Addie Prisciandaro scored 28 and Bella Abt had 17 to lead the Prescott Lady Badgers to a 65-27 win over the Bradshaw Mountain Lady Bears in the first round of a 4A Division playoff game at Prescott High School.
Photo: 10 Bella Abt with a breakaway basket
A slow start for both teams saw the Lady Bears go up 2-0 nearly three minutes into the game. Bella Abt knocked down a pair of free throws to tie it, then scored a bucket to give the Lady Badgers a 4-2 lead three minutes into the contest. Bradshaw Mountain struggled to handle the defensive pressure by Prescott as they went on to score15 straight to go up 15-2. A full court press by the Lady Badgers saw Prisciandaro get a pair of steals and score six points in just 12 seconds as Prescott led 23-4 after the first quarter.
Photo: 33 Allyson Downing goes up high to shoot over Bella Abt
The Lady Badgers kept up the defensive intensity and along with controlling the tempo pushed the lead to 44-12 at the half. The third quarter was a draw as Prescott got more of their bench into the game. Being ahead 58-26 at the end of the third quarter allowed for a running clock that made the fourth quarter zip by.
Photo: 3 Lilly James gets fouled on her way to the basket
An impressive stat was that the Lady Badgers shot 87% from the free throw line, making 20 of 23. Bella Abt was six for six as was Kylee Murdock. Prisciandaro knocked down five three points baskets as the Lady Badgers won their third game of the season over their rival.
Bella Abt showed the battle scars of a hard fought game. Abt said, “Never thought I would play against Bradshaw again. It was so physical out there tonight. We were anxious to get back out there and play and put that last game behind us.”
Addie Prisciandaro said, “We were happy to get to play them again because we knew what the environment would be like. Never thought we would play them a third time, but we needed to get back to there playing our game and we did. I started off slow missing my first two shots, but we were able to find some rhythm and took over.”
Photo: 24 Cate Jones surrounded by the Lady Bears including 23 Presley Connolly
Cate Jones said, “It is always fun to play your rival and get the win. It was rough out there. They played hard but we were able to play how we are capable of.”
Bradshaw Mountain coach Brad Clifford said, “Congratulations to them. They are just a really good team. I thought we had a good start at the beginning of the first quarter, but once they got their press going, that hurt us a lot. I am proud of our team. We finished with 16 wins and won that tough road play-in game which was really exciting for us, especially the seniors.” The Lady Bears end their season at (16-14).
Prescott girls basketball keeps setting school records that includes the 26th win now for the Lady Badgers program. Addie Prisciandaro in scoring and Bella Abt with rebounds, keep adding to their records as well. Prescott will seek win 27 over visiting Eastmark in the quarterfinal game on Saturday night. Eastmark won the East Sky Region and upset Ironwood Ridge on the road. The Lady Firebirds are led by senior Ella Lafountain who averages 20 points per game.
PRESCOTT LADY BADGERS 65, BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN LADY BEARS 27
BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN (27)-Martinez 0 0-0 0, Johnson 2 0-0 6, Connolly 2 0-0 4, Bennett 2 0-0 4, Downing 5 0-0 10, Dorsey 0 0-0 0, Wells 1 0-0 2, Holliday 0 0-0 0, Dekens 0 0-0 0, Jones 0 1-2 1, White 0 0-2 0. 12 1-4 27.
PRESCOTT (65)-Prisciandaro 9 5-6 28, James 2 0-0 4, Abt 6 5-5 17, Jones 2 2-4 6, Crockett 0 2-2 2, Murdock 0 6-6 6, Young 1 0-0 2, Roskopf 0 0-0 0, Islas 0 0-0 0, Hirasa 0 0-0 0, Martinez 0 0-0 0. 20 20-23 65.
Score by Quarters- 1 2 3 4 – T
Bradshaw Mountain 4 8 14 1 – 27
Prescott 23 21 14 7 – 65
Fouled Out-Bennett
Total Fouls-BM 21, P 12
Three Pointers-BM (2)-Johnson 2. P-(5) Prisciandaro 5.
4A DIVISION SCOREBOARD-First Round
Prescott 65, Bradshaw Mountain 27
Flagstaff 64, Walden Grove 36
Paradise Honors 63, Mingus 24
Salpointe Catholic 58, Amphitheater 33
Cactus Shadows 63, Estrella Foothills 34
Eastmark 43, Ironwood Ridge 31
Mica Mountain 75, Sahuarita 50
Mesquite 63, Deer Valley 44
QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE-Saturday, 6pm
#10 Eastmark (16-10) at #2 Prescott (26-4)
#5 Flagstaff (21-7) at #4 Paradise Honors (23-6)
#6 Mesquite (19-9) at #3 Mica Mountain (20-9)
#8 Cactus Shadows (23-6) at #1 Salpointe Catholic (27-4)
