Johnny Padia is an NAU School of Communication student assigned to cover high school basketball for AZPreps365.com

The Flagstaff Eagles took care of business in their regular season finale, 73-41, against the Coconino Panthers on Feb. 11. 

Following a slow start to the game, Coconino got the scoring started first with two buckets inside the paint, and then Flagstaff came up with two of their own. After a back-and-forth end of the quarter, a fast break layup before the buzzer for Coconino brought their deficit down to just three, 15-12, heading into the second quarter. 

It wasn’t until the second quarter that the scoring got consistent for both teams, but in favor of the Eagles. Flagstaff got the scoring started after being aggressive from the jump, forcing a turnover from a Coconino inbound and getting a quick bucket.

An active quarter from senior guard Aubrey Edgewater led the way for Flagstaff, scoring 10 of their 21 second-quarter points, to Coconino’s 15. 

Although the Panthers left the half on a good note after junior guard Marjorita Martinez splashed a wild 3-point heave while falling out of bounds, it wasn’t enough as Coco trailed 36-24 heading into halftime. 

The Eagles started on the same note they ended the first half with; the only difference was that there was a different player leading the way. 

Junior Nidaya Nez got the scoring started for Flagstaff in the second half after connecting on a 3-point shot. This was only the beginning for Nez as she had her way with Coconino throughout the whole second half. She went on to contribute to 10 of the Eagles' 16 points in the third quarter, propelling them to a 52-35 cushion coasting into the fourth quarter. 

The third quarter was just a preview for Nez, as she went on to add 12 more points to her total as the Eagles started to pull away from the Panthers. 

“Coach told me to keep shooting the ball, keep my confidence, and to just continue to do what I am doing,” Nez said. 

Nez ended the game with 26 points. 

Coach Tyrone Johnson spoke about what needs to be done in order to be successful when the Eagles travel to Basha for the first round of the Open tournament Feb. 17.

“We have to take the energy from the second half and emulate that and more at practice over the next few days,” Johnson said. “For us, it’s going to be about our energy in practice and how we can carry that forward into the tournament when we play one of these big schools in the Open.”