Derrick Smith is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover North Phoenix Prep for AZPreps365.com

Ray High School came out the gates strong on the road Tuesday night, beating the North Phoenix Prep Gladiators in their home opener, 51-17, cruising to their first victory of the season.

After falling behind early in the first quarter, the Bearcats went on a 10-0 run led by shooting guard Malena Goad and power forward Sanaa McGee to build an 11-4 lead. 

“The motivation to win is what helped us come out on top,” McGee said. “Hopefully we can continue this momentum.”

It was part of an excellent shooting display from the two stars, as Goad finished with 20 points, while McGee added 14 points.

“I thought we did so well,” Ray Coach Vanessa Camacho said. “This was a huge game for us. We came out together as a team and passed the ball well, so we were able to get good shots. This is our first night running press, so we were able to really amplify on that and take control of the game.”

That’s exactly what the Bearcats did in the second half. With the score 29-13, Ray went on an 18-0 run with 6:42 left in the third quarter to squelch  any hopes for a Gladiators comeback.

The run was mainly fueled by a slew of North Phoenix Prep turnovers, allowing easy transition buckets for Ray. 

“We have a weakness in ball-handling,” North Phoenix Prep Coach Alexis Fulton said. “So we need to focus on protecting the ball, rebounding, and shooting. We had a lot of looks at the basket that didn’t lead to points.”

While not much was going right for North Phoenix Prep, one sign of optimism was the play of Sabrina Daniel, who scored 11 of the Gladiators’ 17 points along with the team’s strong defensive performance in the first half.

“We did a good job at running the defense and executing,” Fulton said. “We also did a really good job of frustrating the offense on the other team.”

For Ray, staying calm and slowing down their offensive tempo will be something they look to improve upon as the season progresses.

“Moving forward, we need to work on dribbling and keeping our composure,” Camacho said. “I think sometimes we get so hurried that we get chaotic, so we kind of forget what we’re doing. We just need to slow the ball down and look at what the defense is giving us.”

Next up, Ray will host San Manuel High School (0-0) on Monday at 5:30 p.m. 

North Phoenix Prep will look to bounce back when the Gladiators host Glendale Prep (1-0) next Wednesday at 6 p.m