The third seeded Pima Roughriders opened the Girls Copper Open Tournament with a complete wire-to-wire performance Tuesday night, defeating No. 14 Alchesay 58–43 in first round action.
The Roughriders set the tone early with an 18–10 first-quarter lead and carried a 36–22 advantage into halftime. Pima controlled the game defensively from the opening tip, holding Alchesay without a made three-pointer on the night. The Falcons cut the margin to ten after three quarters, 43–33, but Pima answered again in the fourth to pull away.
Junior Morgan Russell led the way with 12 points and 18 rebounds as Pima won the rebounding battle 43–32. Page Ashby added 11 points and 9 rebounds, while Taylor Ashby scored 11 and Hanna Ashby finished with 10, giving Pima four players in double figures.
Kamare Classay paced Alchesay with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Seven other Falcons scored, but none had more than 6 points. Alchesay went 15-of-26 from the free throw line, while Pima finished 11-of-20.
With the win, Pima improves to 24–4 on the season and advances to face No. 6 Window Rock, which defeated Joseph City 58–46 in first-round play. The quarterfinal matchup is set for Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Safford High School.
