Katelynn Thun is an NAU School of Communication journalism student assigned to cover basketball for AZPreps365.com.

The defending 4A state champion Flagstaff High School had a dominating 62-28 victory Monday night over the Bradshaw Mountain Bears on Feb. 2. 

The Eagles began the game strong with a 16-2 run. Flagstaff’s defense was quite disruptive, allowing just two made field goals by the Bears in the first quarter. Flagstaff led 28-4 after one quarter. 

The Bears responded with an 8-0 run to start the second quarter, holding the Eagles scoreless until the three-minute mark of the second quarter. The Eagles bounced back, ending the quarter on a 12-0 run of their own and took a 28-point lead into halftime. 

Midway through the fourth quarter, sophomore Sunshine Begoody gave the Eagles a 30 point lead with a 3-pointer. Begoody led the Eagles in scoring with 21 points, with most of her baskets coming from running the open floor in transition.    

“I think just really running the floor and being aggressive helps, pushing the ball and my teammates were able to get some good passes to me,” Begoody said.  

The Eagles utilized a full court press against the Bears several times throughout the game which led to points coming from transition offense.

“When we were playing full court we were aggressive, we were getting hands on balls, we were getting steals and we were able to convert those into easy baskets, especially in the first quarter,” Flagstaff coach Tyrone Johnson said.

Senior Aubrey Edgewater had 11 points for the Eagles, including two 3-pointers, all coming in the second half. Edgewater and Begoody were able to connect on the court multiple times throughout the game, including a full-court pass from Edgewater to Begoody for a transition layup in the third quarter. 

“She has a high basketball IQ, and then you couple her with someone like Sunshine, who’s a go-getter and also has a high basketball IQ. They can see each other, and they work well together,” Johnson said of the on-court dynamic between Edgewater and Begoody. 

The Eagles will host the Cortez Colts on Feb. 3 on Senior Night. 

“We will start all our Seniors and really try to focus on them,” Johnson said. “Some players that aren’t seniors that typically start it will be a chance to support the team from the bench from the start of the game.” 

After Monday night’s win the Eagles are now 17-2 overall and ranked second in the 4A Grand Canyon Region