Cowboys win 20 but lose in first round of state

Sophomore Dusty Dowdle goes up for a shot in a home game for Camp Verde High School’s girls basketball team Jan. 9 against Mayer High School. Dowdle and fellow junior Mariah Daniels will anchor the frontline next season after the Cowboys lost the opening rounds of their Section III and Division III tournaments, losing Wednesday, Feb. 19, 45-41, at Alchesay High School in Whiteriver.
Zack Garcia/Larson Newspapers

The Camp Verde High School girls basketball team persevered Feb. 19 but would ultimately end its season at Alchesay High School, losing its second straight, 45-41.

The Cowboys did attain at least 20 wins for the third time in as many seasons before hazarding an unfriendly postseason that ended in Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

Their rematch with the Falcons, who beat the Cowboys 55-32 in their third game of the season Dec. 5, at the Round Valley Roundball Tournament, was a 19-point improvement that encouraged head coach Mark Showers.

“Tough atmosphere to play in,” he said. “Probably 2,000 or 3,000 in attendance and very loud.”

But the Cowboys could not overcome 29 percent shooting from the field and 19 turnovers — which, Showers said, “for us is not bad, but considering our offensive output was weak, it hurt.

“The kids had a few mistakes which were costly at different points in the game,” he added.

The Cowboys were down eight points early in the third quarter and battled back to take the lead, 37-35, with three minutes to go.

“A couple of defensive breakdowns and we couldn’t recover at that point,” he said.

For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Feb. 26, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.

George Werner

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