Poised, dominating, undefeated. That’s how the Sedona Red Rock Scorpions looked in their 81-17 blowout win over the Scottsdale Preparatory Academy Spartans. 

The Scorpions filled the stat sheet, led by Nyah Valdez, Stephanie Medel and Rachel Roderick. They had 25, 19 and 15 points respectively, with Valdez and Medel both outscoring Scottsdale Prep on their own. 

Roderick’s contributions go beyond just what the stat sheet states. She was all over the floor, blocking shots, grabbing steals, rebounding and acting as an ever-present threat on the floor. 

“We know what we’re coming into, they lost in the championship last year, they’re hungry, they’re mostly juniors or seniors, we know they want to go back to that,” coach Teray Allen-Lisbon said after the game. 

The Spartans found it hard to get out of their own way, frequently turning the ball over all game, something that consistently kept them from finding a rhythm both offensively and defensively. 

“Sedona has always been a really aggressive, competitive team, I feel like we played well against their aggressiveness,” Orchide Nguyen said. “Their passing, they do really well cutting through the lanes, and reading our offense and our defense. They have a high basketball IQ.”

After the first quarter ended with a score of 20-1 in the favor of the Scorpions, it was clear that the undefeated Sedona Red Rock was all its record promised. With a hyper aggressive defense paired with their equally break-neck offense, the Scorpions would be found putting on the full-court press, making athletic steals that would lead to diving layups at the rim or get dished out for an open three point shot. 

With a halftime score of 39 to 8 for the Scorpions, loaded with all-division talent, a win seemed nearly inevitable. After a short run where the Spartans managed to score four unanswered, the Scorpions applied the pressure to finish off their third quarter, going on a 34-0 run to send it into the fourth. 

One notable loss in the game for the Spartans came from the injury to point guard Abigail Benham, who took a hard fall in the third quarter that would take her out for the rest of the game. 

“ I feel worse, only because it is my senior year, and I was told I might not be able to get back on the court and play again,” Benham said after the game. She said that she would know more about the severity of the injury on Saturday, 

Frustration had boiled over, and the Spartan bench would be assessed a technical foul after arguing a no-call on a three point attempt in the third quarter. This would be the second technical foul assessed, both in the game, and on the Spartans, the first being given to Benham, shortly before halftime. 

One of the biggest aspects of this game came from the size disadvantage the Spartans found themselves in. With more than half of the roster of Sedona Red Rock standing over 5 feet, 8 inches, the Spartans frequently found themselves on the wrong end of blocks and acrobatic steals. 

The Spartans, currently third in their division, were looking for a boost with an upset, particularly in need of a bounce back after Tuesday night’s 24 to 55 loss to the Valley Lutheran Flames, where they dealt with many of the same issues of turnovers and allowing offensive rebounds. 

The Spartans were led in scoring by Orchide Nguyen, with 11 points, including the first 6 that the Spartans scored in the game. They currently have five games remaining in their schedule, all within their region. 

Looking forward, Coach Teray Allen-Lisbon said he’s looking forward to ”Getting back some of my key players that are out, seeing our chemistry, how much it’s grown over the season.” He also added that, “I feel we can be in the top 15-20 at the end.” He also hopes to get back as many of his players as possible for the final stretch.