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Exactly two weeks after suffering a 73 – 44 defeat in its regular-season finale against NFL Yet Academy, the No. 13 Ray boys’ basketball experienced a nearly identical fate in last Friday’s first-round state playoff game versus the No. 4 Eagles.
In what was the third matchup of the season between the teams, the Eagles won a third-straight game by a lopsided margin, 75 – 45.
The Bearcats, following a pair of seasons with a losing record, finished 11 – 8 this season, including 9 – 6 in region games.
The No. 15 Lady Lobos exited the tournament in similar fashion, falling to second-seeded St. Michael in Prescott, 67 – 20.
Hayden finished its best season in at least 12 years with a 12 – 9 record, including 6 – 3 in the 1A East Region.
Since the 2006-07 season, the most wins by a Lady Lobos’ teams was eight, which they reached twice (2009-10, 2011-12).
Congratulations to both teams for great performances this season.
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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