The Apache Junction High School Prospectors (2-15) girls’ basketball team matched up against the Vista Grande Spartans (7-12) on Jan. 17. The Spartans were looking to pave their way into the playoffs, while the Prospectors were still looking to turn their season around.

The Spartans took an early lead in the first quarter, and the Prospectors never threatened to take it back. The Spartans took a commanding 16-2 lead in the first quarter.

The second quarter was not much different. The Prospectors attempted to score from deep; however, the three pointers failed to land. A mix of poor shooting and consistent travel calls, the Spartans were able to head into the locker rooms with a 34-2 lead.

Apache Junction attempted to wake up its offense coming out of the locker room; however, a fast start from Vista Grande only further lengthened the gap.

Fans of the Prospectors were getting upset with how the game was handled, which led to an early exit of a parent as the heckling proved to be too apparent according to the referees.

If the third quarter could not get more exciting, the Prospectors made their first three pointer of the game with the waning seconds on the clock. However, Vista Grande responded with a successful half-court shot with only five seconds left to nullify the Prospectors previous points.

Prospector fans desperately attempted to excite the players and crowd by pumping up the noise in the fourth quarter. This seemingly helped Freshman Bella Winn as she started to heat up in the final minutes of the game. Unfortunately, for the Prospectors, the game eventually came to a close with a final score of 68-17.

The Prospectors will play another home game on Jan. 19 against the Cortez Colts, while the Spartans will look to match up against the Dysart Demons at home on Jan. 20.

Editor’s note: Isaac Robertson is a high school intern who currently covers sports writing for Apache Junction Unified School District. He is a senior at Mesa Virtual Campus, is to graduate this December, and plans to attend ASU with a major in sports journalism.