Winslow defense ends Scouts' season

The Winslow Bulldogs capitalized on their home court advantage and advanced to the Final Four of the 3A state tournament with a dominating 62-45 win over the Window Rock Scouts.

With the quarterfinal victory, the Bulldogs advance to the semifinals where they will meet No. 1 ranked Estrella Foothills on Friday evening at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

Before a huge capacity crowd Feb. 19, the Bulldogs stifled the Scouts' offensive attack with a strong man-to-man defense that allowed the Scouts only one shot per possession.

After nabbing the rebound or creating a turnover, Winslow would race down court and score at will.

Sparked by the hustling play of junior point guard Kraig Shirley, who scored a game-high 16 points and dished out numerous assists, the Bulldogs had eight players who scored in the fast-paced game.

"Our team was up for the challenge tonight," said Winslow head coach Ricky Greer. "They came out and got a couple of quick baskets on us right from the start but we never panicked.

"Our team has a lot of confidence and we play with a lot of swagger so we were able to come right back and play our game," he said. "We stepped it up on the defensive end and that made the difference in the game. Our defense keys our offense and so we used our defense to create scoring opportunities in transition. We pride ourselves on our defense."

The loss ended the year for the Scouts who had lost to Winslow twice during the regular season in close ballgames.

"We're disappointed," said Scouts head coach Gil Clauschee. "I thought we would come out with a lot more intensity. But you know, Winslow, they came ready to play. That's a real good team.

"Our guys really tried but we missed some key shots and had turnovers in crucial moments that could have made the game much closer," he said. "It seems that has happened to us throughout the year but I give credit to Winslow, they came with their 'A' game."

The Scouts opened the game with two quick baskets and took a 4-0 lead. The Bulldogs then settled down and used their tough defense to shut down the Scouts and take control of the game tempo. Winslow had a 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Kraig Shirley and sophomore forward Tyler Williams then fueled the Winslow attack in the second period and led the Bulldogs to a commanding 36-22 lead at halftime.

"We were ready but it took us a while to get going, took some time for us to get warmed up," said the 5-foot-8 Shirley. "After we picked up our defensive intensity, we started to pull away and that's what made us go. It was our defense the whole night."

Winslow kept up the strong defensive play in the third quarter and outscored the Scouts 16 to 12 and increased their lead to 52-34 at the end of the period.

With the home crowd cheering them on, the Bulldogs ran off 20 more points in the final quarter for the 62-45 victory.

Senior guard Lakota Shirley tallied 10 points for the Bulldogs followed by senior guard Kale Dixon and sophomore Tyler Wiliams with nine each.

The Scouts were led by sophomore forward JayDiamond Taliman with 12 points, freshman guard Dominic Dale with 10 points and freshman point guard Kyler Ashley with nine.

Winslow will have their hands full on Friday with Estrella Foothills and their star shooting guard Corey Hawkins, who is headed to Arizona State next year.

"Defense, defense, defense, that is what we have to do against Estrella," Greer said. 'They have one of the top players in the state in Corey Hawkins and so we will attack them with strong defensive intensity and try to slow down their scoring.

"I am really proud of our guys, they are playing like a team right now, and that's what makes us go," he said. "We are confident that we can play with anybody and we are going to try our best."

Greer added that Winslow fans are also up for the challenge and they'll be there to support the team.

"It would be great to see 10,000 3A-North fans cheering us on in Glendale," said Greer with a smile. "Our fans and the support from fans throughout the conference is the best in the state. It's going to be a heck of a ballgame and we're ready for the challenge."

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