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By Nathaniel A. Lopez
It was another busy week for the Ray Bearcats basketball teams.
On Feb. 22, both teams were on the road. The Lady Bearcats faced off against Lincoln Prep, while the boys played against North Phoenix Prep Academy.
The girls started off their week strong, with a 21-point victory. The final score against Lincoln Prep was 52-31.
The boys also started the week off with a big victory. Alex Bravo led the team with hot hands, scoring 45 points total, eight of them being three-pointers. The final score for the North Phoenix Prep game was 85-50.
Wednesday, Feb. 24, Immaculate Heart traveled to Kearny to face the Bearcats. The girls team came out ready, ending the game with another big point deficit. The Lady Bearcats closed out the game with their second victory against Immaculate Heart and the second win of the week, the final score being 54-23.
Alex Bravo once again led the boys team with a 25-point game, followed by Derek Figueroa with 21. The boys team was able to close out the night with a 20-point lead, securing their second win for the week as well. The final score of the Immaculate Heart game was 78-58.
On Friday, Feb. 26, Ray hosted Joseph City. The Lady Bearcats played a hard game and by the half they were up by 8 points. At the end of the third quarter the difference only shrunk by one point. Unfortunately, the Lady Bearcats were unable to hold it for the final period. The final score was a close 45-49, giving them the first loss of the week.
The boys team came out ready to play, continuing to be led by top scorer Alex Bravo, scoring 24 points that game, followed again by Derek Figueroa with 18 points. The boys closed the night with another win, the final score being 85-59.
The following day, the Bearcats played their fourth game of the week. St. Michael came to Kearny to face the Bearcats for the first time. Unable to recover from the previous loss the night before, the Lady Bearcats faced another defeat against St. Michael. The final score was 34-56.
“Johnavon Pace played very well on both ends of the court,” commented coach Jonathan Archuleta about the boys game.
Johnavon Pace led the team with 20 points, followed by Derek Figueroa with 16 points. The boys were able to secure their fourth win of the week, the final score 76-49.
The Bearcats played one final regular season game against Fort Thomas on March 2. (Results of that game was not available at press time.) Coach Archuleta stated that on Wednesday, March 3, they will learn who and where they will be playing in the first round of the state championships.
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