Success continues to spurn a suitor at Camp Verde High School as the basketball teams head into their winter break.
In their first two home games, senior guard Rayana Chatter showed head coach Mark Showers that the girls team has more weapons than just senior center Mariah Daniels in wins over Payson and Horizon Honors high schools.
Chatter took what the Horizon Honors High School defense — which reverted to what Showers called “junk” in an effort to bottle up Daniels — gave her, scoring 17 in the Cowboys’ second straight home win Friday, Dec. 12.
“They double-teamed her every time we turned around,” Showers said, “so we talked to Rayanna and said, ‘You need to drive to the basket.’ She responded real well.”
Daniels was held to 11 points and 12 rebounds after scoring 21 points and 20 rebounds while helping to shut down Payson junior Arissa Paulson in a 48-27 blowout of Payson on Dec. 9. Senior Kayla Sandoval, Showers’ best defensive player, teamed up with Daniels to neutralize the Payson post.
“I told Mariah she’s not a secret anymore,” Showers said. “Everyone knows she’s the go-to [player]. They can’t guard her man-to-man.”
Senior guard Gabby Ontiveros was also closely defended by the Eagles, who gambled that nobody else could beat them on offense. They lost.
No gambler would bet against the Cowboys [8-1] finishing off the rest of the calendar year undefeated. After a final Division III, Section III game at Chino Valley High School, the girls will host the Yvonne Johnson Memorial tournament to end 2014.
The hard work of head coach Dan Wall’s boys, however, was met at home with the same result it has mostly been on the road — defeat.
Junior Javier Perez had 19 points in the second half of a 60-53 loss Dec. 9 to Payson but had just two points in his other three quarters of action, as without Perez’s contributions, even as point totals dropped by 15, the losing margin remained the same Friday, Dec. 12, against the Eagles.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Dec. 17, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
