The Patagonia High girls basketball team will play at Fort Thomas on Tuesday at 5pm in the first round of the Class 1A state tournament.
The Lobos, playing in the state tournament for the first time since 2016, ended up ranked 14th in 1A despite winning their final five games. They are 14-9 overall and 11-6 in games that are factored into the state rankings.
Fort Thomas is ranked third in 1A. The Apaches are 21-10 overall and 13-6 in games used for ranking purposes. They advanced to the finals of 1A Cooper and East Super Regional, losing 49-45 to second-ranked Joseph City.
Patagonia and Fort Thomas did not play each other during the regular season, but they did share six common opponents: St. David, Duncan, Valley Union, Baboquivari, San Manuel and Superior. The Lobos were 3-3 against those opponents, with victories over Baboquivari, San Manuel and Superior. Fort Thomas was 6-1 against those opponents, losing only to St. David.
The Lobos’ 2016 state tournament appearance ended with a 61-34 first-round loss to Pinon. They advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2015 tournament.