Camp Verde’s girls basketball team had a number of standout players during its season — as would be expected of a team that was the No. 1 seed in the 2A Conference at the end of the regular season and reached the state finals. But senior center Jacy Finley stood out on not only her team, but the entire state.
At season’s end, Finley was not only the Player of the Year for the 2A Central Region, but was named the 2A Conference’s Player of the Year. In the spring, Finley was the starting pitcher on the Cowboys softball team that was attempting to repeat as state champions before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short.
For her accomplishments on the floor as well as the diamond, The Camp Verde Journal is naming Finley its Female Athlete of the Year for the 2019-20 school year for Camp Verde High School.
“I think I grew a lot throughout high school in both sports,” Finley said. “But I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I did without my coaches.”
During her senior season on the hardwood, Finley led the 2A Central Region and was 12th in all of 2A with 13.8 points per game. Her 10.5 rebounds a game were third best in 2A and nearly five per game better than any other region player. Finley’s 3.6 blocked shots per game, meanwhile, were more than three more than any 2A Central player and nearly a full block per game more than anyone in 2A.
Finley’s game was also elevated when the stakes were at their highest. While the Cowboys ultimately fell one point short of a state championship, Finley averaged 22.5 points, 13 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per contest in the four state tournament games — including a 24 point, 13 rebound and five block effort in the state championship game.
Finley’s top memories in basketball with the Cowboys basketball team didn’t come from the state tournament or even a regular season game, but instead bonding with the team.
“My top memory for basketball is the trips we took to California with the team every summer,” she said. “We got super close and it was always fun.”
Finley’s senior season in softball never really got going. Not only was the season cut short but the basketball team’s extended postseason run kept her from joining the team until they were already into what turned out to be a five-game season.
Finley said that her favorite memory in softball came as a junior when the Cowboys won the state championship. She noted that, “we worked so hard to win that title.” Finley had a big part in that run as both a pitcher and hitter. On the mound, she posted an 11-1 record with a 3.09 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 140 strikeouts in 81.2 innings. At the plate, she hit .489/.549/.888 with five home runs and three doubles.
Away from sports, Finley identified the senior hike to Sedona’s Devil’s Bridge as her favorite memory.
While Finley’s time playing basketball and softball at Camp Verde is complete, she’s not done with either sport. Next year, Finley plans on attending Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, CO — approximately three hours southeast of Denver and three hours northeast of Santa Fe.
A number of former professional athletes have attended that school, including former NFL players like Franklin Clarke, Cody Jones, Larry Walton and Gary Weaver, MLB All-Stars players Danny Jackson and Mark Grudzielanek, overseas professional basketball players Stan Mayhew and Claire Ioannidis and Olympic gold medalist and Basketball Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood.
“I would like to thank each and every person who supported me and helped me throughout the past four years,” Finley said. “It means the most and I wouldn’t be where I am now without you all.”
