Two Wildcats taken in WNBA Draft, 77th Bell Game and more
(KYMA, KECY) - Thursday night featured the WNBA Draft and two Arizona Wildcat Women had their name called off the draft board before night's end.
Pac-12 Player of the Year, Aari McDonald, was the first off the board in an unexpected leap at the third overall pick to the Atlanta Dream.
McDonald's impressive performance in the NCAA Women's Tournament must have been enough to jump up in the draft.
The Senior Guard led the Wildcats to its first ever Final Four run, before losing by one point in the National Title game.
But she wasn't alone on that run, or at the WNBA Draft. Her fellow teammate, Trinity Baptiste, was a huge Cat contributor and she was drafted as the 12th pick in the second round to the Indiana Fever.
McDonald was the Cats' leading scorer with 20.6 points per game, while Baptiste was the teams' leading rebounder, coralling over 6 boards per game.
Their Head Coach, Adia Barnes, took to Twitter on Thursday night with a picture of the players and saying "I'm so happy for these two but I miss them already."
Barnes will have her work cut out for her in the 2021-22 season without those two, as Arizona looks to duplicate another Final Four run.
Meanwhile, in local sports, Friday night features the 77th Annual Bell Game. The Spring Season Finale showcases the rivalry between the Brawley Wildcats and the Central Spartans.
Be sure to catch the highlights on the final Friday Night Lights episode of the season with Brando and Rob. There will also be highlights of the Calexico and Vincent Memorial game.
