Cornerstone Christian Academy
Grades: K - 6, 6450 North Camino Miraval - Tucson, AZ 85718
Admin: 520.529.7080
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy
Grades: 6 -12, 9500 North Oracle Road - Tucson, AZ 85704
Admin: 520.797.0107
Girls Basketball in The News
The Pusch Ridge Christian girls basketball team seems to have the answer. "We're 5-foot-8 and below on our starting lineup," said Lions coach Lonnie Tvrdy. "We can't change that, but in the last few games we've out-rebounded some of the bigger opponents we've played. It comes down to positioning and heart." So with the proper positioning down low and a tight defense, No. 9 Pusch Ridge was able to beat 24th-seeded Sahuaro 40-30 in the first round of the Division II girls basketball state tournament at Pusch Ridge. Junior Noelle Soltero and freshman Moriah Roters were the ones fighting for rebounds, giving their team a second, third and, on one possession, a fourth scoring opportunity. Soltero finished with 10 points and Roters had eight. Junior Gabrielle Courtney finished with 11 points, nine of which came from the free-throw line. "It's the heart," said Soltero. "I don't have the height but you gotta want the ball more than someone else does." For most of the game, Soltero and Roters were fighting for position against the bigger, more athletic Brianna Hicks from Sahuaro. Hicks scored nine of her team's 17 first-half points, but was held scoreless for the rest of the game thanks to some creative defense from Pusch Ridge. The Lions used a full-court press, half-court traps and occasionally dropped into a zone to keep Sahuaro's offense guessing. Pusch Ridge also managed to keep Hicks out of the paint in the second half, forcing her to shoot threes or long two-point shots. With Hicks having trouble finding her offense, it was junior Chelsey Hunsaker picking up the slack for Sahuaro by forcing turnovers and going in for easy layups. She had a game-high 12 points. "In the first half we missed some defensive assignments and they made some shots," said Tvrdy. "And I thought we were a little too eager on offense, but in the third quarter we settled down. We found our spacing and started playing like a team again." Pusch Ridge now moves on to face No. 8 Peoria Liberty in the second round on Friday. Soltero said the team will do some film study during Thursday's practice to see the best way to attack them. "We want to come out defensively strong," she said. "That's what has gotten us to this point. If we play as a team, we're a force to be reckoned with." February 8, 2012 Arizona Daily Star Article Pusch Ridge made the move up two classes to Division II to see if it could compete. PRCA Girls Vs Cholla PRCA vs Palo Verde
When battling down low for a rebound, height is definitely an advantage. But how do you grab a rebound when the height matchup isn't in your favor?.jpg)
Down 17-16 at the half, Pusch Ridge came out in the third and put the locks on defensively. Sahuaro only managed one point in the third quarter while the Lions started to settle in on offense. And with a nine-point lead going into the fourth, Pusch Ridge looked to slow things down and control the clock.
Their opponents found out quickly that they could compete! The Lions never trailed in a 47-32 win over Cholla in the first round of the Section I tournament Tuesday night to clinch a berth in the state tournament at Amphitheater High School. "It was cutting down travel, and we wanted to see how we'd compete," Pusch Ridge coach Lonnie Tvrdy said. "The goal was to make sectionals and see if we could get to state and to be 13th ranked into this, I couldn't be more proud of this team." Moriah Roters, a freshman forward, led Pusch Ridge with 13 points. "I'm usually not the leading scorer so it was different for me, but I think I had a lot more driving opportunities," Roters said. She hit the team's first field goal with 5:56 left in the first quarter, and a minute later, she snagged a steal and set up Gabrielle Courtney with her first field goal of the game to make it 5-0. Cholla (20-9) got on the board when Shantell Lopez hit a roller with 4:35 left in the quarter, then Roters converted a rebound for a layup to make it 7-2. The Lions (22-7) eventually took a 22-8 lead when Caroline Roessler sank a three-pointer from the right corner with 3:26 left in the first half. Abby Mass sank a three from the right corner with 6.8 seconds left to put the Lions up 27-13 at halftime. Cholla opened the second half with a 6-0 run to cut the 14-point deficit to eight. Marcianna Granillo made two baskets then Lopez, who scored a game-high 18 points, made one to make it 27-19. Noelle Soltero hit Pusch Ridge's first basket of the half to extend the lead to 10 with 3:23 left in the third. Thirty seconds later, Roters converted a three-point play when she made a layup from the left and was fouled. With 1:41 left in the quarter, Soltero, who finished with 10 points, hit a jumper from the left to give the Lions a 35-20 lead and seemingly put the game out of reach. "We were letting their guards penetrate too much, and we weren't doing good help defense," Soltero said. "We need to clean it up. Right now is good practice time for state." Cholla coach Mike Argraves said he still thinks the team can get into the playoffs as long as there isn't an upset in sectionals. "Because of power points, we still have a chance to go to state," he said.
