PRESCOTT VALLEY — For only the sixth time in AIA history, a 1A girls basketball team has claimed back-to-back state titles.

Anna Begay scored 13 points and No. 1-seeded Rock Point staved off a fierce rally by Joseph City in the second half to claim back-to-back 1A state titles with a 49-45 win Saturday night.

It is the Cougars' third title in the past four seasons.

Rock Point head coach Andrew Reed said they've played close games in the past, and he preaches composure.

"I always tell my girls, 'Don't panic. Keep your composure. And keep the same intensity every single time,'" Reed said. "Joseph City, they came in and got excited. But we had to stay calm I told my girls, 'Just play your game.' ... If we don't, they'll get excited and blow right by us."

The Wildcats (28-8, 11-0 1A Copper) trailed 34-18 at halftime, but a bucket by Gabrielle Jesmer from the top of the key and a 3-pointer from the corner by Brenlee Hutchens capped a 16-2 run to cut the lead to two, 36-34 with 2:05 left in the third quarter.

"It was fantastic," Joseph City head coach Dan Bushman said about his girls effort in the third quarter. "These girls battle through everything. I've coached for seven years and this is the only team I've had come together like a family. I'm so proud of them."

April Neill scored 17 points to lead the Wildcats. Jesmer and Hutchens each had eight points.

Despite being outscored 27-18 in the second half, Rock Point (26-2, 8-0 1A North) was able to hold on for the win.

"We stayed calm, and we didn't back off. We kept fighting, too," Reed said.

Rock Point's Anna Begay gets a hug after her team claimed the 1A state championship with a 49-45 win over Joseph City on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in Prescott Valley. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)Begay, a senior who scored 36 points just 24 hours earlier in a 59-34 win over No. 4 St. Thomas in the 1A semifinals, was in tears after the game.

She credited Joseph City on a well-played contest.

"We've prepared all season, we knew we were going to win. We practiced to hard. I'm happy for my team," Begay said.

"She did good on both ends, offense and defense," Reed said about Begay. "I told her, 'If it's not dropping for you, go help us on the other side.' That means rebounding, defense, take care of the ball.' She's not selfish, one of the best girls that I ever coached," Reed said.

Reed added that the three state championships in the past four years are special to not only him as a coach, but the program and the town.

"My girls, we've been wanting this for the last several years and we kept fighting for it," Reed said. "This three peat that we did just now proves that any school can pull it off. I told my girls, 'You have to dig down deep, you have to want it and go get it.'"

The Joseph City girls basketball team celebrates at half court after being given the 1A state runner-up trophy Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in Prescott Valley. The Wildcats lost, 49-45. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365.com)

The last 1A team to win back-to-back state titles was St. Michael's in 2017 and 2018. That squad actually beat Rock Point in 2017, 57-35.

Joseph City's last state championship came in 2001 in a 57-56 win over St. Michael. The Wildcats still hold the record for consecutive championships, winning four straight from 1976 to 1979.

All four came what was known then as the "C Division," the lowest school level in the state at the time.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.