Cowboys beat Parker 64-46 to win 26th annual Yvonne Johnson tourney

December 28, 2023 by Brian M. Bergner Jr., AZPreps365


The Camp Verde girls basketball program poses for a photo after defeating Parker 64-46 in the 26th annual Yvonne Johnson Memorial Shootout championship game Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, in Camp Verde. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)

CAMP VERDE — Rachel Roderick scored 17 of her 23 points in the second half to lead Camp Verde past Parker 64-46 in the Yvonne Johnson Memorial Shootout championship game Thursday night.

It is the fifth straight win for the Cowboys (11-3, 0-0 3A North Central), which led 22-21 at halftime but used a 24-14 third-quarter run to put the game away.

Page Oothoudt added 13 points and Marisol Salas scored 10 in the victory.

Roderick, who was named to the All-Tournament team, said her transfer from Sedona in the offseason has gone well so far.

"It's a lot different. The girls work well together as a team. We have a lot more unselfish players, because we had a lot more skilled players at Sedona," Roderick said. "Here there's a lot more movement and teamwork. I really like that."

The 6-foot-2 senior, who helped the Scorpions reach the 2A finals her freshman and sophomore season, and a final four appearance a season ago, said she's really enjoying working with longtime Camp Verde head coach Mark Showers.

"Working with him [Mark Showers] has really improved my mentality, my attitude. Just like working hard every day with him. He's a really good coach, it's more about the progress and where you're going than winning individual games," Roderick said.

Showers said Roderick has fit right in at Camp Verde.

"It's been awesome, she gets along with them off the court. They've really melded well together. Watching her on the court, we've been able to see what she can do. We've been able to match her up into key situations, which will help us as we go into the season," Showers said.

Showers quickly tipped his cap to his players efforts so far this season.

"They've completely oveturned last year's really misriable season, when we won six games total. ... The kids have played hard defensively, they work their tails off. They've put themselves into a position to be successful," Showers said. "It feels great, they've done it themselves."

Elizabeth McCabe led the Broncs (6-5, 0-0 3A West) with 15 points, while Veronica Sandoval had 10.

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.