With their backs against the wall and facing a must win situation in order to make the Region 1 post season playoffs the Cochise College Lady Apaches put together a six-game winning streak climaxing Friday night with a 94-84 win over the second place Yavapai Roughriders in Prescott.
 The Cochise College Lady Apaches put together a six-game winning streak when their backs were against the wall to qualify for the Region 1 playoffs. Cochise knocked off the No. 2 team in the league, Yavapai College, 94-84 Friday to secure a spot in the playoffs. For the fourth consecutive year the Lady Apaches will head back up to Prescott today to play Yavapai College again on Wednesday. The winner of that game will get 30-0 Central Arizona College currently the No. 2 team in the nation. Members of the 2007/08 Lady Apaches are, back row, left to right, assistant coach Becky Pickett, Brenda Portillo, Ashley Jackson, Katelyn Wilson, coach Steve Lane, Egle Karolyte, Margaret Gadomski and Erin Murphy. Front row left to right, Simone Buckhanan, Leah Hernandez, Selena Flores, Cherelle Rosales and Mary Leal. Jackson has landed second team all conference and first team all region honors. Buckhanan landed third team all conference honors. |
Cochise has beaten Yavapai two of the last three years in the playoffs and Cochise College coach Steve Lane is hoping his team can do it again this year.
"We glad to be in the post season," the coach said. "I’m glad to be playing Yavapai. I think we’ve gotten in their head a little bit beating them two out of the last three years at their place and we beat them Friday night on their home court."
Yapavai had the ACCAC player of the year Tehani Goldsmith who scored 32 points against Cochise Friday after scoring just seven points in a 82-75 overtime win over Cochise Jan. 23 at Cochise.
Ashley Jackson, who was second team all conference and first team all region, led the Lady Apaches in scoring with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Simone Buckhanan, who was third team all region, followed with 18 points, Cherelle Rosales contributed 17 points, Egle Karolyte had 14 points and Erin Murphy closed out with 10 points.
Cochise led 50-26 at the half and actually led by 28 points at one point when Yavapai went on a 14-0 run.
Lane feels the pressure is on Yavapai going into the playoffs.
"In our last four games we’ve scored 84, 85, 86 and 94 points," he said. "We seem to be playing better and better each game. We’re peaking right now.
Lane said his team has yet to play one solid game of basketball and that was the case Friday when his team went through a stretch where they turned the ball over helping Yavapai rattle off 14 consecutive points.
"We’ve been playing really, really hard," the coach said. "Our shooting has also improved."
Lane feels his team has the momentum going into the game having just beaten Yavapai at their place Friday night.
"We know we can win in their gym," the coach said. "We know we can beat them. We just have to prove it on the court."
Lane said Wednesday night’s rematch will all come down to execution.
"And the winner will be the team that executes their offense and defense," he said. "That’s what it boils down to."
Coach Lane said in Friday’s game with Yavapai his team missed a lot of scoring opportunities and will need to do a better job of taking advantage of some of the mismatches that will present itself Wednesday night.
"We’re going to tweak our offense a little bit and see if we can get the right person in the right spot," the coach said.
Lane said his team must also shut down Goldsmith Wednesday and not let her "roam free" the way she did Friday night.
"She’s still going to get some points but we need to do a better job of making her shots contested shots and make her have to work for what she’s going to get against us," he said. "We also need to put more pressure on the ball defensively so they can’t find their other open shooters."
Lane feels his team is really playing its best basketball right now.
"We’ve moved our average from 70 points a game to 76 the last nine games," he said.
The unfortunate thing about Wednesday is the winner will play the No. 2 team in the nation, Central Arizona College, Friday for the Region 1 championship.
"We’re going to beat each other up Wednesday night to see who gets to go into the lions den on Friday," Lane said.
Central is 30-0 and has a 6’5 ACCAC player of the year in Tenaya Watson
"Who ever goes there is going to have their hands full," Lane said. "But I want to be there."
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