Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

Operating in the considerable shadow of 6A champion and perennial powerhouse Valley Vista, the Willow Canyon girls basketball program would require a painstaking building process.

In his fourth year as Wildcats coach, Brandon Scholtz is seeing the team turn the corner as their belief in themselves and teammates catches up with their abilities.

Thursday night, the Wildcats took the next step on the same Ironwood floor where their first postseason trip since 2009 ended in February. Willow Canyon (4-1, 2- regular season) withstood a second half comeback from Ironwood (3-3, 0-2) to win 40-36.

"This group of seniors is the group that were freshmen when I took over. We've grown over four years and every girl in the program has learned the same system. It's a much more cohesive group and they've got that buy-in with each other," Willow Canyon Coach Brandon Scholtz said. "They've kind of embraced that we're somebody teams have to look out for now."

Ironwood stormed back by forcing the tempo to increase in the fourth quarter, going on a 12-5 run in the first four minutes to take a 34-33 lead. Fittingly, junior forward Ali Denny responded with two straight buckets for the visitors.

The 5-10 force led all players with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

"Four of our starters have known each other for two years. Our chemistry has really grown," Denny said.

Junior point guard Emma Hanson added a free throw to stretch the lead to 38-34. Sophomore forward Meghan Strickler drew the Eagles close by scoring with 45 seconds left. However, senior Kayjah Evans made her only two points of the night count, sinking two free throws in the waning seconds to secure the win.

The setting also meant more for the Willow Canyon girls, who made the play-in round of the 5A playoffs in 2016-17 season, compiling a 10-16 record in the loaded Northwest Region. A senior-dominated Ironwood team dismissed the Wildcats Feb. 9, winning 67-38.

"Ironwood knocked us out of the playoffs last year so we kind of circled this one. We came out with a lot of passion and intensity in the first half," Scholtz said. "Ironwood's a good, talented team and an established program. So we knew they would make their run. It's a testament to the girls that and how much resolve they have that they didn't panic. That's the growth of these girls."

Clearly, this is not the same Ironwood team. Three-year starters Danielle Cassidy and Emily Henderson now play for local community colleges.

Now, sophomores dominate the squad and players are still sorting out their roles.

It was apparent during a dismal first half, in which the Willow Canyon girls grabbed a 18-13 lead.

"We kept beating ourselves up. I told the girls on the bench that I was going to faint the next time we missed a free throw. I think we only made a few an entire game. That can be a difference maker right there," Ironwood Coach Jamie Carreon said.

Denny was the only standout early, with 10 points and nine rebounds at the break. Sophomore guard Shelby Maher gave her some support in the third, hitting a long two, a three and a layup for seven straight points to give the visitors their biggest lead at 27-13.

After major contributions inside — she finished with 10 rebounds and three blocks — Strickler hit a trey for her first points. Fellow sophomore Amelia Corker's second triple brought the Eagles within six at 28-22 by the end of the third.

"She actually mentioned she would (start scoring). Meghan leads us in blocks, steals, deflections and rebounds," Carreon said. "Amelia is still getting a handle on playing the point guard position. We need her to make sure we have that."

Ironwood's Amelia Coker (#15) attempts a shot against the Willow Canyon girls team on Nov. 30 at Ironwood High School in Glendale. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]Corker hit another three and another Ironwood sophomore, Illicia Zamorano, added a basket to bring the Eagles within two. Denny hit a three, but Stickler answered with an old-fashioned three-point play.

Sophomore Paisley Aguirre added to the long-range parade to give the home team its short-lived lead.

"We were confident enough tot are the threes but unfortunately, that's not the game plan, to live and die by the three-point shot. I think we played better at the end," Carreon said. "I would prefer every game to be close like that. You're not going to learn any other way."

Corker led Ironwood with 11 points, while Stickler added 9 to go with her defensive play.

Maher ended up with 10 points for the visitors.

"We've had some administration changes and thy've been huge with supporting the program and getting us the tools and resources we need. It's a good feeling. The girls know it. The coaches know it. Now we've just got to keep building," Scholtz said.