Relentless defense leads Gila Ridge
20-1 run propels Hawks past Kings in 54-22 blowout Friday
It took six minutes for both teams to score, and there were only six combined points by then.
What looked like a potentially haphazard contest on both ends quickly turned into a blowout when the Gila Ridge girls basketball team went on a 20-1 run and took a 20-point lead into the half in the Hawks’ 54-22 win against Kofa on Friday at Gila Ridge.
From a 3-3 score late in the first quarter, the Hawks (5-1 AIA) dominated with a relentless defense and opportunistic scoring. By the midway point of the second quarter, they had a 21-4 advantage and never looked back.
“We weren’t settling,” Gila Ridge coach Jaime McGalliard said. “In the first quarter, we were getting good shots, but our focus is to get better shots. In the second quarter, we really did that. We got better shots by going to the rim and forcing people to help, those types of things rather than just settling for a jumper.”
And on the other end, nary a minute would pass without a Gila Ridge defender cutting off a passing lane to get a steal, or forcing a bad pass or shot that often led to a turnover.
“That’s kind of been our focus all year,” McGalliard said. “Our shooting can take nights off, and offense can take nights off and you can’t control those things. The one thing you can control is you can always control our talk, you can always control being proactive on defense and we can
GR: 5-1 AIA KHS: 3-3 AIA
always control boxing out.”
Kofa (3-3) didn’t hit double-digits in any quarter, with the highest of the night being eight in the third. The Hawks recorded 10 steals and deflected 13 passes.
“Collectively, as a team, we just weren’t in full sync with each other,” Kofa coach Frank Brown said. “That hurt us that first quarter, and we just couldn’t get back together to get over the hump, to really be competitive for all four quarters. That’s what really hurt us.”
Junior Hanah Sims had a double-double for Gila Ridge, with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Jordyn Keddy added 10 points.
The Hawks play at Cibola, and Kofa is at home against Calipatria (Calif.) on Tuesday.