It was as if
a lid were covering the Xavier Prep basket in the first three quarters of the
team’s 6A Conference first-round game at a packed Mesa Westwood gym on Tuesday
night (Feb. 18).
Very few
shots went in, even free throws, and that can make it difficult to come back.
The Gators
regrouped in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 points, four more than the first
three quarters combined.
But it
wasn’t enough as the seventh-seeded Warriors held on for a 47-42 victory over
the 10th-seeded Gators.
Xavier finished
its season at 18-11 under coach Jennifer Gillom, while Westwood improved to
26-4 and will play a quarterfinal game at No. 2 Phoenix Pinnacle on Thursday
night (Feb. 20).
Xavier
senior Elysia Fleetwood made a big push in the fourth quarter by scoring 7 of
her team-high 13 points. It likely would have been 10 points in the period had
not Fleetwood fouled out on a drive to the basket on a charging foul with 49.3
seconds left.
Fleetwood
drove down the lane, put up a shot and it went in, just as she had less than a
minute earlier. Had she completed the 3-point play as she did previously, the
Westwood lead would have been trimmed to 46-43.
It was an
emotional end to Fleetwood’s strong career in blue and white. When she realized
it was she who was given the foul, tears began to fall as she covered her face
with her hands.
Xavier had a
successful season, considering it had only two seniors, one (Fleetwood) who got
much playing time. That left the underclassmen, including three freshmen, to go
through on the job training. Sometimes it appeared easy, other times not.
Xavier fans
will see if those lessons will prove beneficial when the team reconvenes on the
court at the Activity Center later this year.
6A first round
Westwood 47,
Xavier Prep 42
Xavier
scoring – Elysia
Fleetwood 13, Mia Davis 8, Sienna Cherwinski 7, Lauren Etsitty 5, Tori Saucedo
3, Tanya Barakat 3, Toni Garcia 3.
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