After three weeks, 23 combined games and 1,200 miles traveled, the Patagonia High girls and boys basketball teams finally got to play in front of the home crowd on Thursday night.
The Patagonia girls treated the locals to a 38-33 victory over Hayden, rallying from a six-point second-half deficit, but the boys team left its shooting touch on the road and was soundly defeated by a 51-22 score.
Senior Emma Lewton stole the spotlight in the girls game, notching 12 steals and 24 points to lead Patagonia. Eleven of her points came in the final quarter as the home Lobos held off the visiting Lobos despite having to play the final 21 seconds with four players. Patagonia suited up only six due to injuries and was forced to play short-handed after two starters fouled out.
Lewton herself finished the game with four fouls and was constantly double-teamed by Hayden, but she thrived under pressure. “She’s the kind of kid who can handle it,” coach Michele Shadrick said.
Sophomore Reyna Velasquez added 10 points for Patagonia, including a pair of three-point baskets.
Patagonia fell behind 14-6 early in the second quarter and managed only 11 points in the first half. It trailed 22-16 midway through the third quarter going on a 9-0 run and taking the lead, 23-22, on Velasquez’s second three-pointer.
Hayden evened the scored at 25 early in the final quarter, but Lewton responded with a layup and a three-point basket to put Patagonia up by five, and they managed to hold on the rest of the way despite having no substitutes available after Brianna Majalca fouled out. The lead was 36-33 when sophomore Jazz Hoyos picked up her fifth foul, but Patagonia managed to inbound the ball to Lewton, and she sprinted downcourt for a game-clinching layup as time ran out.
The victory improved Patagonia’s overall record to 4-8, including a 3-3 mark in the Coach Edgar Brown Holiday Tournament in Williams. The Lobos won three consecutive games in the consolation bracket before losing to Northland Prep 54-42 in the consolation finals.
Patagonia’s boys expected a difficult matchup against a the bigger, stronger, faster Hayden team that is traditionally among Arizona’s top 1A teams, but the home Lobos didn’t help themselves any. They made only 8 of 53 shots from the field (15 percent), 3 of 11 free throws (27 percent) and committed 17 turnovers.
The lone bright spot came when Jaxon Yslava sank a shot from beyond halfcourt as the final buzzer sounded.
Junior Kannon Shore led Patagonia with 11 points.
Coach Nate Porter was disappointed that the Lobos couldn’t build off of a solid showing at the holiday tournament in Williams. Like the girls, the boys won three consecutive games in the consolation bracket before losing in the consolation finals to El Capitan, 43-20.
Lack of scoring has been a consistent issue. “That’s the thing about basketball: You’ve got to put that orange thing in that cylinder,” Porter said.
The loss left Patagonia with a 5-8 overall record, including 3-3 at the Williams tournament.
The Lobos will play one more game prior to the Christmas break, on Thursday, Dec. 18, vs. Valley Union. The girls play at 5:30, followed by the boys at 7.