LOCAL GLANCE (Feb. 2): JUCO basketball, Prep softball
The Arizona Western women's basketball team picked up their eighth straight win with a 61-40 victory at Glendale on Saturday.
Freshman post Samantha Wallace had a game-high 23 points and Jaycee Pagala nailed four 3-pointers to help give her 14 points on the night for the Matadors, who improve to 19-5 overall and 11-3 in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.
Arizona Western led 30-25 at halftime but went on a 13-3 run early in the second half to pull away.
“We did a good job on the road with just handling everything that Glendale threw at us and then we wore them down,” Matador coach Patrick Cunningham said.
The Matadors' win, coupled with Eastern Arizona's loss to Cochise, gives Arizona Western a 3-game lead over the Gila Monsters for the third and final playoff spot. Arizona Western hosts Eastern Arizona at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the House.
JUCO MEN'S BASKETBALL
Matador cruise past Glendale
Freshman guard Anthony Alston had a career night thanks to the free-throw line and the Matador men's basketball team beat Glendale 74-59 on Saturday night.
Alston went 14 for 15 from the line and scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Matadors, who improve to 20-4 overall and 15-1 in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.
Sophomore post Tanner Clayton added 15 and sophomore guard Marvin Whitt chipped in 14 for the Matadors.
Arizona Western used a 10-2 run early in the second half to distance themselves from the Gauchos.
PREP SOFTBALL
Former Kofa star hired at YC
Yuma Catholic hired former Kofa star Alyssa Rhodes to be the Shamrocks' softball coach on Tuesday.
Rhodes, who graduated from Kofa in 2007 and went on to play at Yavapai, takes over a Yuma Catholic team that went 8-11 last season. The Shamrocks made a coaching change during the middle of the 2012 season with Sara Badgley taking over midway through the year.
“I have a little experience at the junior high level but the opportunity was open and I took it,” said Rhodes, who was interviewed and hired the same day.
Rhodes was a three-time Yuma Sun/Yuma Rotary Club Softball Player of the Year during her playing days for the Kings and was a starter for the Yavapai team that won the 2009 NJCAA Division I National Championship.
“She was a star at Kofa and went to Yavapai and was on a national championship team so we did really well (getting Rhodes),” Yuma Catholic athletic director Rhett Stallworth said.
