Arizona prep basketball
Postseason brackets become clearer for Arizona Division III, IV
By Quentin Jodie
Navajo Times
January 29, 2013
W INDOW ROCK – With the final week of the regular season drawing to a close on Saturday the postseason brackets for Arizona basketball is starting to become clear.
As usual, the top eight seeded teams from each section will qualify for the sectional tournament, which is scheduled to start on Feb. 5 at various sites.
At the conclusion of that tournament, the seeding will be updated for the pairings for the Division III and Division IV state tournament brackets, which will have 24 teams.
According to the AIA website, "four teams from each of the three section for a total of 12 teams will earn an automatic bid based on how they finished within their sectional tournament."
The final 12 spots will be based on overall seeding.
Division III
As of Monday, Jan. 28, the Window Rock Scouts and the Chinle Wildcats are holding on to the top two spots in boy's Division III basketball, according to the Maxpreps.com.
Their much-anticipated matchup yesterday was postponed until Saturday, Feb. 2 at Chinle High.
Tuba City is ranked No. 6 and earlier this month the Warriors lost a 49-48 decision to Window Rock.
Page is one spot away from making the sectional tournament and comes into the final week as the No. 21 seed.
Teams that are on the bubble for the state tournament include No. 27 Valley, No. 30 Ganado and No. 31 Winslow.
In the girl's division, six schools from Section I are holding down the top seven seeds headed by the Window Rock Lady Scouts.
Over the weekend, the Scouts posted a 40-35 win over No. 6 Page, the defending Division III state champions.
With a win over No. 7 Many Farms last Friday night, Valley switched places with Winslow to garner the No. 2 spot.
Winslow, which beat top-seeded Window Rock by a 50-38 count on Jan. 15, is seeded No. 3 as they went 3-2 after their win over the Scouts, which includes last Thursday's 40-39 loss at Page.
Alchesay comes in at No. 4 followed by Safford, Page and Many Farms.
With a record of 9-6, the Holbrook Lady Roadrunners are ranked No. 11, one spot ahead of Tuba City.
Other top teams from the area include No. 16 Chinle, No. 17 Monument Valley and No. 22 Ganado.
Division IV
In Division IV, the Rock Point Cougars are the highest ranked team in the area, coming in as the No. 12 seed.
So far the Cougars have posted a 12-2 record in games counting toward the AIA state seeding. They will conclude the regular season on Thursday, Jan. 31 with a home game against Pinon.
The St. Michael Lady Cardinals come into the final week as the No. 20 ranked team. The Cardinals are three spots in front of Red Mesa.
Barring in major changes, both teams will play one another during the sectional tournament on Feb. 5 in Flagstaff.
In the boys division, Red Mesa comes in as the No. 27 ranked team while Rock Point is No. 21.
Both teams are scheduled to compete in next week's sectional tournament with Red Mesa seeded No. 3 and Rock Point No. 4, which is also scheduled to take place in Flagstaff on Feb. 6.
The sectional tournament in Division III will take place on Feb. 5 for the girls and Feb. 6 for the boys.
For both tournaments, Winslow and Chinle will host two games each for the first round. The semifinals and finals taking place at Chinle on Feb. 8.
Former tribal chairman to present lecture in Southern Arizona
By Bill Donovan
Special to the Times
WINDOW ROCK - Despite being at an age when a person can sit back and bask in the limelight, Peter MacDonald Sr. is still out there on the lecture tour.
MacDonald, 84, is scheduled to speak to middle school students in Sahuarita, Ariz. on Thursday, Jan. 31.
MacDonald, who served as chairman of the Navajo Tribe for 14 years before he was placed on suspension by the Navajo Nation Council in connection with the Big Boquillas scandal, is scheduled to talk to the students about his time as a World War II Marine and his service as a Navajo Code Talker.
MacDonald is president of the Navajo Code Talker's Association and had been trained as a Code Talker as World War II ended. He was on a ship to the Pacific War when the war ended.
Officials for the school said that MacDonald will be one of several World War II veterans who have been invited to attend the event, which is being sponsored by the social science teachers at the school.
School officials said he will speak to the students in the morning and then be at Quail Creek's Madera Clubhouse at 7 p.m., where he will sign books on the Code Talkers. Book sales will support the Code Talker's Association.
In a press statement about the event, the school noted some of MacDonald's many accomplishments while tribal chairman. The statement also mentioned the 1989 riot that left two of his supporters dead and his conviction on federal racketeering charges that resulted in federal imprisonment. U.S. President Bill Clinton commuted this sentence on his last day in office.
But since then, said the press release, MacDonald "has been a leader in pushing for Navajo sovereignty."