If Jamee Leichtle was lucky, she might have just barely been able to shoot a basketball the last time John F. Kennedy hosted a girls playoff game.
The senior guard wasn’t born the last time the Commanders won one.
Leichtle and the sixth-seeded Commanders carved their names in school history Tuesday night by rallying for a 49-44 victory over No. 11 Eagle Valley in the first round of the Class 4A state basketball tournament.
Leichtle poured in 23 points for the Commanders (16-8), who overcame a slow start to give the home fans a rare playoff treat. The Commanders last hosted a playoff game in 1997 — a loss — and longtime coach Harry Moseley isn’t sure when they last won.
“Maybe never,” he said with a laugh.
The Commanders advanced in the Tracy Hill Region and will face third-seeded Roose-velt (19-4) on Friday.
The Devils (8-15) were rolling in the first half as they outrebounded their hosts 29-15 and outshot them 43-30. But the Commanders clawed back to within three points at halftime and tied it on Averie Floyd’s 3-pointer to start the third quarter.
From there it was all Leichtle and junior guard Gabriela Zarate, who harassed the Devils, forcing turnovers and pushing the tempo to the desired level. Leichtle was stellar from midrange and had touch on her floaters.
“We got all our jitters out, and it was good after that,” Leichtle said.
The Commanders also got tougher inside behind junior Layla Rabih (nine points) and senior Dymond Ruybal (four), while putting the clamps on Devils senior Yvette Parra, who had 10 points in the first half, zero in the second.
“We wanted this so bad,” Ruybal said. “We just played and put our hearts into it.”
The Commanders took the lead for good midway through the third quarter on Rabih’s basket. Rabih’s steal and layup put the Commanders up 39-31 and they would extend their lead to 11 points on Leichtle’s basket early in the fourth.
Eagle Valley 16 13 5 10 — 44
John F. Kennedy 9 17 15 8 — 49
Eagle Valley — Parra 4 0-0 10, Pickslay 1 1-2 3, Nevin 1 2-2 4, Schott 2 1-2 5, K. Bair 3 2-4 8, J. Bair 1 2-2 4, Kingston 0 0-0 0, J. Zapata 4 2-4 10, Gagnon 0 0-0 0, Renzelman 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 10-16 44.
John F. Kennedy — Zarate 3 2-2 8, Leichtle 11 0-0 23, Floyd 1 2-2 5, Ruybal 2 0-0 4, Rabih 4 0-4 9, Lloyd 0 0-0 0, Shenefelt 0 0-0 0, Gile 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 4-8 49.
3-point goals — Parra 2; Rabih, Leichtle, Floyd. Total fouls — Eagle Valley 11, John F. Kennedy 15. Fouled out — Ruybal. Technicals — None.
