(Hickory, NC). The Pima Community College women’s basketball team (28-4) will make its second straight appearance in the NJCAA Division II Tournament Final Four.
The No. 4 seeded Aztecs defeated No. 12 Union County (NJ) 88-75 in the quarterfinal round. They will play on Friday in a semifinal matchup at 4:00 p.m. (EDT); 1:00 p.m. Tucson time.
The Aztecs went on a 10-0 run in the first quarter to go up 12-4 and took their first double digit lead 21-11 after sophomore Kiley Sours-Miller’s (Dream City Christian) basket with 15 seconds left. The Owls scored a three-pointer at the end of the quarter.
The Aztecs maintained their lead in the second quarter, but the Owls cut it to single digits. Sophomore Ahdiayh Chee (Dobson HS) hit a three-pointer at the end of the half as Pima scored seven of the final nine points to go up 40-31 at the break.
Sours-Miller and freshman Reigne Waugh scored the first two baskets of the third quarter to give Pima a double-digit lead at 44-31. Union County cut it to single digits again. Up 60-51, the Aztecs went on a 7-0 run that was capped off by sophomore Melicia Nelson’s (Window Rock HS) three-point play to make it 67-51 with 31 seconds left in the third.
The Aztecs didn’t lose their double-digit lead again and led by as much as 19 points in the fourth quarter. Nelson’s basket made it 78-59 with 4:47 remaining.
Sours-Miller finished with her 14th double-double of the season as she posted a game-high 29 points on 13-for-17 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Freshman Lucy Fisher (Mesquite HS) added 14 points and seven rebounds while Nelson nearly posted a quadruple-double of 10 points, six rebounds, nine assists and nine steals.
The Pima bench outscored the Owls 24-1 in the first half and 24-5 for the game. Chee and fellow sophomore Cassie Coolidge (Sahuaro HS) each scored seven points.
“I thought (our bench) did great. Our rotations were a little different today, but everyone stepped up when they came off the bench and did what they were supposed to do,” Coolidge said. “We have so many people who can score and we have a lot of talent on this team. Any given game, whoever gets thrown in there, we know they’re going to do a great job.
“They (Union County) definitely didn’t quit and they’re really well-coached. They just kept going and were really scrappy,” Coolidge said. “It was really hard to get the ball across halfcourt, they pressed the whole game. Kudos to them because they didn’t make it easy for us at all.”
Waugh closed it out with nine points and two rebounds. Freshman Nevaeh Urenda (Flowing Wells HS) contributed with six points off the bench.
“It’s just about matchups. The rotation may not always be the same, but we’re in the National Championships so sometimes we have to adjust and things have to change,” Urenda said. “It’s about playing to our strengths, so it had to change and it worked out.”
The Aztecs will face No. 1 seeded Johnson County Community College (KS) on Friday in the semifinal round at 4:00 p.m. (EST); 1:00 p.m. (MST). It is a rematch from last year’s NJCAA Division II National Championship game where the No. 6 Aztecs fell 75-67 to the No. 4 Cavaliers.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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