Alamo Navajo wins second SENAI title
Navajo Times | Adron Gardner Alamo Navajo Cougar Shawntel Guerro (10), left, and Tsé Yi’ Gai Diné Warrior Cesar Hoberman (23) chase a loose ball during the Striking Eagle Native American Invitational at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque on Dec. 30.
ALBUQUERQUE
The Alamo Navajo Cougars used its speed to get past the pesky Tsé Yi’ Gai Diné Warriors in the finals of the boys Bison bracket last Friday.
The Cougars were a little shaky in the opening minutes as Tsé Yi’ Gai scored 12 of the first 14 points at the University of New Mexico campus during the 2016 Striking Eagle Native American Invitational last Friday night.
But the Cougars went on a head spinning 24-7 run that spanned seven minutes late into the second quarter in their 75-60 win.
“We didn’t play up to our potential and we tried running but they just slowed the game down,” Alamo Navajo coach Marcus Pino Sr. said of Tsé Yi’ Gai. “When we started hitting our shots, we got the momentum going.”
With 2:39 left before the half, the Diné Warriors pulled within 28-27 after Sheldon Castillo nailed two consecutive treys. That was when Alamo Navajo put on the afterburners.
Alamo Navajo guard Shawntel Guerro got it started by scoring nine straight points to close out the first half. The senior guard added two more points in the early part of the third quarter before Marcus Pino Jr., took over as he scored 12 points in a hurry for a 54-34 lead with 4:16 left in the third quarter.
“Obviously we lost the game at the beginning of the second half, but I am really proud of these kids,” Tsé Yi’ Gai coach Edwin Chiquito said. “The kids worked real hard and we’re still growing.”
Chiquito said they were able to exploit their size in the first five minutes when they jumped out to a 12-2 lead, but as the game wore on his team tried to run with Alamo Navajo.
“I tried to tell the kids to slow down the game,” the first-year Tsé Yi’ Gai coach said. “That’s our game and we wanted to control the tempo. Late in the second quarter we tried to run with them but the score reflects what we did.”
With the win, Alamo Navajo captured their second straight title at the SENAI. This time, however, they competed in the middle school bracket.
“This means a lot for our program, especially moving up in the tournament,” Marcus Pino Sr., said. “I told the boys that this is our year and I believe that we can make state this year.”
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