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The No. 6-seed Ray basketball showed the fight and resiliency of a champion in a 59 – 56 loss against No. 3-seed Rock Point in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Division V State Championship, which took place last Friday in Prescott Valley.
The Lady Cats were outscored 29 – 11 in the third quarter after leading at halftime, 27 – 24. They entered the final quarter trailing by 15 points but fought their way back, outscoring the Lady Cougars 18 – 6 in the fourth to just miss from advancing to the state semis.
The great comeback perhaps makes the loss a little more bitter considering the end result, but it doesn’t take away the great accomplishments of this season, even if they’re not immediately in view.
The Lady Cats won 21 games this season, their most in at least 10 years. They went 12 – 4 in section games and tied with San Carlos for the most wins in Section IV, which was arguably the most difficult section in the state regardless of division. Six teams from Section IV reached the state tournament.
Congratulations on a great season, Lady Cats!
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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