Since tying a preseason scrimmage Nov. 20, the girls basketball teams at Camp Verde and Mingus Union High Schools have gone in opposite directions the first half of their seasons.
The Marauders and new head coach Bri Young certainly hope to reverse a 1-5 start at the Yvonne Johnson Memorial Shootout, their second holiday tournament in two weeks Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29 and 30.
“We’re just looking to get better during this tournament,” Young said. “We’re still looking at the fundamentals.
“Passing, breaking the press — that’s what we’ve been struggling at.”
Such issues were evident during the Marauders’ third loss by more than 20 points , Friday, Dec. 18, at Washington High School, 52-29.
Conversely, after a week-and-a-half off, the Cowboys will enter the tournament riding a two-game winning streak, including an eight-point win over rival Sedona Red Rock High School.
“Schools that just practice don’t replicate that kind of competitive atmosphere,” Showers said. “It’s just an opportunity for teams to get four games right in the middle of the break.”
Showers dedicated the 18th annual shootout to Johnson, one of his former players who was killed in a car accident in the summer of 1986.
Although the Cowboys [6-6] and Marauders have no chance of playing each other until the final game of the shootout, they will clash with 10 other teams, including Division III and IV powers Estrella Foothills, Horizon Honors and Gilbert Christian high schools, in four games over two days.
“There’s three real strong teams in there,” Showers said. “Then there’s the rest of us.
“We’ll try some different things, but the tournament is just a bridge from the first half of the season to the second half.”
For the full Camp Verde and Mingus schedules, please see the Wednesday, Dec. 23, issues of the Camp Verde Journal and Cottonwood Journal Extra.
