Although guard Liza Westervelt led Sedona Red Rock High School girls basketball to its best season ever in the scorebook, she had to share the Division IV, Section I Player of the Year spotlight Friday, March 11.
“No one likes to tie for a prize or award,” said Westervelt, who shared the honor with JaeLynn Curley from state runner-up Ganado High School. “But I think being a co-player was the right thing to do because the other girl was a great player and definitely deserved the award as well.”
Westervelt, who averaged 13.5 points per game to trail only Curley for the section scoring lead, also was named to the all-Division IV second team.
“It’s definitely a great honor to have,” Westervelt added. “But, in the long run, it’s not too fun, because in the game it just puts a target on my back.”
A target Ganado used 11 three-point shots to take down in the sectional tournament championship after the Scorpions handed Curley and the Hornets their first home loss to win the regular-season title.
“I know we lost to a great team,” Westervelt said. “We knew it’d be close. The win at Ganado, I think, was a bigger game than the section championships, because it was at their gym with their crowd and their fans on Senior Night.”
They were on course for a rubber match in the Divison IV championship before the Scorpions lost to state champion Thatcher High School in the semifinals.
“We will not sneak up on any teams next year,” said her father and Scorpions assistant coach Kirk Westervelt. “We have seven returning girls for next year and look forward to another run at a state tournament, hopefully ending up as state champions.”
Westervelt will lead his daughter’s off-season skill and weight training and plyometrics with freshman boys guard Chase Saczalski, wrapped around summer basketball camps at Augustana, Sioux Falls and Southern Mississippi universities.
“Any team can box-and-one me but that doesn’t matter,” Liza Westervelt said. “We have a great team to easily support and back it up.”
Westervelt was also fourth in her section in free throws made — seven ahead of Curley at 38 and one behind outgoing point guard Annie Parrella, who shared first-team all-section honors with Westervelt.
The two other free-throw leaders, junior forwards Sophia Perry and Hannah Ringel, were also second team all-section. Ringel sank 86 free throws this season to finish in the top five of Division IV.
“Next season’s upcoming team is going to be just as good — probably even better,” Westervelt said. “We have new players coming up, and that will be helpful, especially for a deeper bench.
“Our goals are to just get farther than last year and hopefully win it all.”
For information about a Sedona Red Rock High School summer girls basketball camp, please see the Wednesday, March 16, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.
