Shamrocks girls basketball roll to quarterfinals win

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - The Yuma Catholic Shamrocks protected their home court in dominant fashion Saturday night, defeating the Show Low Cougars 46-29 in the 3A playoff quarterfinals.

Yuma Catholic wasted no time setting the tone. Sadie Estes found Kimora Coleman early in the opening quarter.

Although Coleman missed the initial shot, she stayed with the play and converted the putback to spark a 7-0 run and force an early Show Low timeout.

The Cougars responded out of the break, working the ball inside to Tatum Moore, who finished a strong spin move in the post to get Show Low on the board.

But the Shamrocks kept the pressure on throughout the first half. Neriah Sakay used a screen to create space and knocked down a deep shot as Yuma Catholic continued to build its lead.

Moments later, Estes anticipated a pass on defense, took it coast-to-coast, and finished the layup, prompting another timeout from the Cougars in an attempt to slow the momentum.

The stoppages did little to cool off the Shamrocks.

Estes led the way with 14 points, while Gwen Thrower added 13 points. Coleman contributed nine points to round out a balanced scoring effort for Yuma Catholic.

With the 46-29 victory, the Shamrocks advance to the semifinals, where they will face second-seeded Page Friday.