Friday, March 29, 2024

Lady Pirates repeat as champions

Lady Pirates repeat as champions

Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
The Valley Sanders Lady Pirates prepare for their 2A girls state basketball championship game against Leading Edge Academy Saturday at the Prescott Valley Event Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The Lady Pirates defeated LEA, 70-39, to win the trophy.

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz.

Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
Valley Sanders Lady Pirate Codi Spencer (22) prepares to make her shot for the basket as a Leading Edge Academy defender blocks her path Saturday at the 2A girls state basketball championship game in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The Lady Pirates won the 1A title by a score of 70-39.

Trying to stop the Valley girls’ basketball team at this year’s Arizona Class 2A tournament was like trying to stop a fast-moving freight train – move, or get ran over.

Despite being given the No. 5 seed for this year’s tournament the Lady Pirates dominated this year’s field and won each game by an average of 37 points.

On Saturday, the Pirates jumped on the Leading Edge Academy Spartans from the outset and capped the season with a 70-39 win in the 2A title game at the Prescott Valley Event Center.

With that, Valley repeated as state champions under the tutelage of esteemed second-year coach Dorothy Mitchell.

Afterward, Mitchell told the media they used their fifth seed as motivation.

The Pirates could do little wrong on Saturday as they scored the first 10 points with senior Cherelle Speen putting in four points while sophomore Valiyah Yazzie and freshman Nizhoni James added a trey each.

Leading Edge finally got on the scoreboard at the 4:55 mark, but Valley went on another run. The lead was pushed to 22-2 on James’ trey with 2:20 left in the opening stanza.


 To read the full article, pick up your copy of the Navajo Times at your nearest newsstand Thursday mornings!

Are you a digital subscriber? Read the most recent three weeks of stories by logging in to your online account.

  Find newsstand locations at this link.

Or, subscribe via mail or online here.




About The Author

Quentin Jodie

Quentin Jodie is the Sports Editor for the Navajo Times. He started working for the Navajo Times in February 2010 and was promoted to the Sports Editor position at the end of summer in 2012. Previously, he wrote for the Gallup Independent. Reach him at qjodie@navajotimes.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Weather & Road Conditions

Window Rock Weather

Fair

36.0 F (2.2 C)
Dewpoint: 27.0 F (-2.8 C)
Humidity: 70%
Wind: South at 4.6 MPH (4 KT)
Pressure: 29.96

More weather »

ADVERTISEMENT