Austin Nicholson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Phoenix Country Day School for AZPreps365.com

 

Phoenix Country Day’s best season since 2016 ended Friday with a 68-57 loss to Alchesay in the first round of the 2A state playoffs.

“It was far better of a season than we’ve ever had,” senior Mira Kaibara said, “not just by wins but just as a unit.”

The Eagles finished 8-0 in the region and 18-2 overall.

Before the long road trip home from Prescott, senior Saira Puri had one final message for her teammates.

“Thank you guys for everything, for the memories, and for putting your heart out on the court every time you stepped on there.”

The loss came a week after being crowned the Metro Regional champs. Freshman Nara Kaibara led the team with 20 points.

“We’ll be back next year, and we’ll be stronger,” coach Sean Newland said.

Things looked promising for the Eagles early on. They led 32-27 at the half. Kaibara and Natalie Lewis scored 20 of the team’s 32 points.

“I want you to keep attacking,” Newland told his team. “You have to keep that mindset.”

Alchesay, however, attacked PCDS with a 6-0 run to begin the third quarter. A suffocating full-court press defense and points off turnovers allowed the Falcons to cut the deficit to 47-44 with under 30 seconds to go in the third.

When junior Sanya Mittal fouled out just a few seconds later, it was the beginning of the end for the Eagles.

“When she went out...we couldn’t get anything going,” Newland said.

Alchesay took advantage of its opponent’s late struggles, outscoring Phoenix Country Day 24-10 in the fourth quarter to advance to the quarterfinals.

“I’m just proud of the way they fought throughout the whole game and the whole season,” Newland said.

Senior Natalie Lewis said Alchesay’s disruptive fan base affected the team’s performance.

“After any good play we had, there was just resounding ‘Boos, ’ ''Lewis said. “It definitely puts a damper on momentum.”

Puri agreed.

“It definitely gets in your head a little bit,” she said. “At a certain point, it was energy against us.”