It was a day
that every coach dreads, when the inevitable occurs, because very few
basketball teams run the table and win every single game in a season.
After
winning its first 16 games of the season, Xavier Prep came to a screeching halt
on Saturday (Dec. 29) with not just one, but two losses in the Lady Titan
Winter Hoops Classic at Phoenix Arcadia, doubling the disappointment for the
Gators.
Xavier began
the day with a 49-23 blowout at the hands of Phoenix Shadow Mountain, which
went on to defeat Phoenix Desert Vista for the Gold Bracket championship later
in the evening.
The loss
meant Xavier would have to face Phoenix Horizon in the Gold third-place game.
Xavier trailed by eight at halftime, used a big third quarter to get back into
it, but faded down the stretch as Horizon went on a 9-3 run to close it out for
a 67-61 triumph.
“I don’t
know where the team went. We were in a brain fog. We were doing stuff on
offense and defense that we haven’t done all season,’’ said Xavier coach
Jennifer Gillom. “It’s a good thing they have about a week to get ready for the
next game (Jan. 8 at Gilbert Perry).
“I know they are tired. They’ve played a lot
of games lately. We will just continue to try to do the things that we do.’’
Xavier
entered the tournament as the No. 1 team on the Arizona Interscholastic
Association’s power points list for 6A Conference teams, and is expected to
remain there at least for now because power points are not affected by
tournaments.
Shadow
Mountain is 4A and Horizon 5A.
“We want to
try to make sure we are still No. 1,’’ said Gillom, whose team finished as
state runner-up last season.
Xavier was
never really in it against Shadow Mountain, which had the advantage in size and
athleticism.
Xavier
scored just two points in the second quarter and only seven in the third.
The Gators
were missing senior point guard Leilani McIntosh, who did not play in either
game. Her ball-handling and quickness on defense were missed.
Senior guard
Addie Putnam helped pick up the slack in the second game, scoring 16 points in
the third quarter on the way to a 33-point finish. Senior guard Paris
Rasheed-Moore scored 18.
Alyssa Alvarez,
a senior guard, carried the load for Horizon (17-2) with 32 points, including
five 3-pointers.
“We’re going
to have to learn to deal with this adversity,’’ Gillom said.
Will that
happen?
The New Year
will be here soon enough, and we will find out.