Shamrock girls fall to Maricopa

Local Sports

Shamrock girls fall to Maricopa
BY BRIAN WILLIAMS, SUN STAFF WRITER
Feb 7, 2007

Yuma Catholic's girls basektball team got just what it wanted on its final possession of the game.

Unfortunately for the host Shamrocks, forward Zanae Facio couldn't convert the 2-footer with 1.6 seconds remaining in Wednesday's 70-69 loss to the Maricopa Lady Rams.

It was just one of many chippies Yuma Catholic (20-7, 11-1 2A West) missed throughout its final regular season and 2A West Region contest.

"Right after the game, she is feeling like she lost the game for us but I said, 'You know what we missed a whole lot of layins before that,'" YC coach Bill Wirtzberger said. "There were a lot of factors. Everyone can point to the one play but what about the plays earlier. It just didn't fall for us tonight."

The outcome had no affect on the postseason or the 2A West standings. The Shamrocks had already locked up the region crown and its top seed.

Maricopa (21-6, 10-2 2A West) was led by senior Yvonne Nuguid, who single-handedly brought her team back in the final quarter, with 22 points. She scored 16 in the fourth quarter.

"We felt like we had nothing to lose. We put it all on the line," Nuguid said. "I felt like I owed my team."

Nuguid missed a majority of the second quarter due to foul trouble and sat out six-plus minutes of the third quarter after picking up her fourth foul.

With Nuguid on the bench in the third, Yuma Catholic came to life and took its first lead 42-40 since midway through the opening stanza on a long 3-pointer from freshman Ashley Wirtzberger.

Wirtzberger finished with 22 points, followed by Luisa Villalobos with 10 and Facio with 12. Seniors Cally Tanaka and Ashley Aitken, who were honored prior to the game, had eight and six points, respectively.

YC outscored Maricopa 25-14 in the third to take a 51-44 into the final period.

Nuguid buried her third three of the fourth quarter tying the game at 57 with 5:00 to go and gave Maricopa the lead for good with her fourth trey 61-59 with 2:02 remaining.

"I knew that if we could keep it close in the third quarter, Yo would come through," Maricopa coach Jen Miller said. "She plays big in big games."

Brian Williams can be reached at bwilliams@yumasun.com or 539-6883.