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| Prescott High's Paige Ramm, middle, drives to the basket as Bradshaw Mountain's Jenna Tonnemacher, left, and Kate Rogge defend at BMHS on Friday.
Matt Hinshaw/The Daily Courier
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| | Box Score | Prescott 50, Bradshaw Mtn. 43
(Prep Girls Basketball Friday night at BMHS)
PRESCOTT (50) - Schiller 4 6-10 15, Ramm 3 7-8 14, Campbell 5 1-4 12, Moore 2 0-0 4, Holliday 1 0-0 2, Michels 1 0-0 2, Garcia 0 1-2 1, Childers 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 15-24 50.
BRADSHAW MTN. (43) - Tucker 6 3-5 17, Moore 3 6-11 12, Hernandez 2 4-4 8, Tonnemacher 1 2-2 4, Rogge 1 0-0 2, Elsass 0 0-0 0, Bradley 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 15-22 43.
PRESCOTT 9 11 12 18 - 50
BRADSHAW 6 13 10 14 - 43
Three-Point Goals - PHS 3 (Ramm, Schiller, Campbell), BM 2 (Tucker). Fouled Out - Ramm, Rogge. Rebounds - PHS 44 (Ramm, Michels, Garcia 8), BM 23 (Moore 10). Assists - PHS 11 (Ramm, Moore, Schiller 3), BM 10 (Bradley 3). Total Fouls - PHS 15, BM 19. Technicals - None.
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PRESCOTT VALLEY - Tied at 38-38 with 3:35 left in regulation Friday against rival Bradshaw Mountain, the Prescott High girls basketball team was feeling the heat in hostile territory.
Plagued by turnovers for much of the evening, the Badgers had difficulty pulling away from the aggressive Bears until their full-court press and penetrating offense took control when it mattered most.
PHS snapped the tie inside of three minutes remaining, pieced together an 8-0 run and held on for a 50-43 victory over Bradshaw - avenging last season's disappointing loss to the Bears.
Badgers senior guard Carli Schiller scored nine of her team-high 15 points in the pivotal fourth period to help Prescott improve to 12-2 overall as it heads into the winter break on a four-game win streak.
Shooting guard Paige Ramm chimed in with 14 points and eight rebounds, and forward Ginger Campbell registered 12 huge points, all in the second half, to pace surging PHS.
"Our intensity increased exponentially in the fourth quarter," said Schiller, who converted 5-of-8 free throws in the final period. "The win was on the line, and bottom line, I think we wanted it more."
Added Campbell, "Last year against Bradshaw, we really couldn't make anything click in the second half, and this year I really didn't want that to happen. It was our coach's Christmas present, so I didn't want to disappoint her."
Despite a valiant effort, one in which it trailed only 20-19 at halftime, Bradshaw Mountain dipped to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in power-ranking games. Senior guard Lindsey Tucker guided the Bears with a game-best 17 points, while Sarah Moore posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
In a back and forth affair Friday, Prescott did not pull away until Campbell and Schiller drained consecutive field goals with 2:25 to go to put the Badgers on top 42-38.
"We just kind of lost our momentum," Tucker said in regard to the waning moments. "We were behind a little bit and everybody got down."
But a pivotal 3-point play from Ramm inside of two minutes provided the biggest nail in Bradshaw's coffin. Ramm took the ball from the top of the key and drove all the way to the hoop for the deuce as BMHS's Danelle Hernandez fouled her. Ramm calmly sank the free throw for a 45-38 PHS edge, swinging the pendulum in favor of the visitors.
"Paige's intensity and passion for the game definitely pushes all of us," Schiller said.
Prescott coach Melissa Townsend said Ramm did not score as many points as she wanted to with her dribble-penetration move, but she still pulled it together in the fourth.
"Our girls had patience in the end," Townsend said. "We had the lead, we needed to be smart, we needed to make sure we had open shots in the paint, and they did that."
Nonetheless, Bradshaw refused to quit and cut the Prescott advantage to five, 48-43, on a Moore hoop in the lane with 13.6 seconds left. Two seconds later, Schiller iced the win for Prescott when she drained a pair of charity stripe tosses.
Oddly enough, the Badgers were fortunate to escape with the win, as they committed 25 turnovers. However, when one factors in the Bears' 24 cough-ups, primarily thanks to Prescott's full-court trapping defense, it essentially was a wash.
"This is a hard place for us to play," Townsend said. "I respect Bradshaw a ton. They watched and scouted us, and they knew what we were going to do. I am more nervous to play this game than I am against the number one seed in the state."
Bradshaw coach Maury Ruble said Prescott overmatched his team with its height and size, which led to bad fouls and other miscues.
"We just made bad decisions," Ruble said. "We graduated eight kids (from last year's squad) and we've got some players in some spots that are tough for them. Their skill level's not necessarily appropriate for it. And we were outmatched at certain moments, we made key mistakes, and Prescott capitalized."
The sloppy play was contagious throughout - and both teams chalked it up to nerves. When these two rivals meet, players say they tend to get jittery and not always play their best basketball.
"Our ball handling is one thing we really have to work on," Tucker said of BMHS's offensive woes. "Altogether we played a good game, we just didn't come out with a 'W.'"
Bradshaw moves on to compete at the Camp Verde Tournament Dec. 28 and 29. The Bears will open up against Tempe Prep and Camp Verde.
Prescott will have two weeks off before playing host to Flagstaff High Jan. 5.
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