GILA RIDGE

her.”

Sims finished with a game-high 17 points to go along with her seven rebounds and four steals.

As a team, the Hawks hit 22-of-34 attempts from the line. A much better percentage than their 8-of33 shooting from the field.

The execution in that department is no surprise to Martin.

After each practice, the Hawks work on their freethrows and if one player misses, the team runs.

Despite the poor shooting effort by the Hawks, their defense suffocated the Cougars’ offense.

Utilizing a 1-3-1 fullcourt press and transitioning into a 3-2 half-court zone, the Hawks forced 25 turnovers and turned defense into offense.

“We want to run,” Martin said. “We condition all the time in practice for these situations. We didn’t play to the best of our abilities in the first game, but we’re in shape to get into a track meet.”

The Hawks’ letdown on both ends of the court occurred late in the third quarter. With Gila Ridge commanding a nine-point lead, the Cougars found a rhythm offensively behind point guard Xaviarre Garcia. The pint sized senior delivered a teamhigh 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field.

“We let them get back into the game with their own energy and I was nervous, but we were always ahead,” Martin said. We knew we were going to win, but didn’t know how we were going to win.”

They did so by slowing the pace down late with the lead and relying on the easy ones from the freethrow line.

Molly Fain added seven points, while role player Isabella DeCorse had six points and five rebounds.

In her first game as head coach, Martin led her Hawks to victory.

“The girls needed (the win) and I needed it,” she said.

Gila Ridge hosts Yuma High on Thursday and looks to continue their momentum.