PHOENIX – For 31 minutes and 50 seconds, the Pima Roughriders battled, scrapped, and put themselves in position to play for a state championship. But in the final, chaotic seconds of Friday’s 2A state semifinal at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a stunning and controversial call ended their season in heartbreak.
Leading 55-54 with under 10 seconds left, Pima was one stop away from a trip to the 2A state championship game. Arizona Lutheran’s Lauren Riesop, who had carried ALA with a game-high 34 points, raced into the frontcourt and launched a contested three-pointer in a desperate bid to win the game.
Pima’s Hanna Ashby made what looked like a clean block, sending the Roughrider bench and fans into celebration. But instead of a game-sealing stop, the trailing official stunned the building—whistling a foul on the shot with 0.8 seconds left.
Understandably, the Pima bench erupted in protest, pleading their case in disbelief. The moment spiraled further out of control when two technical fouls were issued in the aftermath, handing ALA an unimaginable seven free throws to close the game.
Riesop stepped to the line and made six of seven, flipping what should have been a Pima victory into a 60-55 loss that will be talked about for years in Roughrider history.
Pima was led by Sadie Richardson’s 18 points, while Macy Allred added 15. Adysen Hoopes dominated the glass with 13 rebounds. The Roughriders fought back from an early deficit, turning a 25-23 halftime deficit into a 40-37 lead after three quarters. But instead of closing it out, their season ended with a whistle.
Pima finishes the season with a 22-9 record, falling just short of a state championship appearance. Arizona Lutheran advances to face Miami in the 2A state championship game on Saturday morning.
