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Superior head coach Manuel Ortega sent out a Tweet about his team’s results vs. Hayden.
The Hayden girls’ basketball team defeated Superior 39 – 22 in the Lady Panthers’ first game since the passing of freshman Julissa Garcia.
The 22 points scored by Superior matched Garcia’s jersey number.
It was emotional for both teams, before and after the game as both sides started and ended the game with only four players on the court.
A pregame ceremony included Lady Panthers’ players laying down Garcia’s No. 22 jersey and a basketball bearing her number at center court.
Lady Panthers’ sophomore Lindsay Ketron scored a team-high 12 points and senior Maribel Castro hauled in 15 rebounds in defeat.
On Jan. 12, the Lady Panthers played the Arizona Carter School Bulldogs, losing 27-44.
Upcoming schedule: Jan. 17 at Ft. Thomas, Jan. 19 at Ray and Jan. 20 vs. Phoenix Day School for the Deaf. All games are scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
A Lady Panther gets hold of a runaway ball.
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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