Bulldogs outlast Alchesay in postseason win

By Quentin Jodie
Navajo Times

WINSLOW, Ariz. – The Winslow boys basketball team were living large on Friday night.

After coming up short to the Alchesay Falcons in a pair of two-point losses during the regular season, Winslow got even as the Bulldogs advanced into the 15-team Arizona Interscholastic Association 3A Conference State Championship bracket.

Before a boisterous crowd, the No. 17 Bulldogs held off No. 18 Alchesay by a 55-51 count in the 3A Pool Play game at Winslow High School behind the 1-2 punch of freshman guard Jacoby Chee and senior forward Jayden Curtis. The two players combined for 42 points with Chee putting up 23 points and four treys while Curtis added 19.

“We felt like we had opportunities in the previous meetings to get it done, but it was little mistakes, rebounds or missed free throws that cost us the game,” Winslow coach Jerron Jordan said. “We lost a lot of the 50/50 balls and tonight we won those 50/50 balls.

“I want to give a shoutout to our student section,” he added. “I thought they were amazing tonight. You know, in the previous meeting they weren’t as loud, and so that helped.”

Jordan went with a bigger lineup and that strategy paid off with frontcourt players Jayden Curtis, Josh David and Jalen Taylor battling Alchesay’s frontline.

“I was running three bigs in there because Alchesay has a big line,” the Winslow coach said. “I think our length kind of helped, you know, contesting those shots down the stretch and we knew they were in foul trouble.”

The nip-and-tuck game was unexpectedly halted for 15-plus minutes as a medical emergency incident occurred in the second half with Winslow leading 33-29. With play stopped, both teams returned to the locker room with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.

“I looked back behind me, and I saw something going on, so I notified the officials because I thought it was very urgent,” Jordan said. “I pray that individual from Whiteriver is OK. The officials did a good job, getting both teams off the court.

“They gave us a little bit of time to warmup, but it was a very scary circumstance,” he added.

When play resumed, Alchesay received a big 3 from senior Max Antonio as that shot ignited a 6-0 rally. Antonio capped the run with a pair of free throws for a 35-33 Alchesay advantage with 3:05 remaining.

Winslow, however, closed out the third stanza on a 7-2 run with senior guard Jeremiah Acothley scoring four, which included a wild shot just as time expired that put the Bulldogs ahead for good at 40-38.

Curtis then took over as he scored Winslow’s first eight points in the final stanza. His first two baskets earned the Bulldogs a 44-38 cushion with 6:33 left.

“They beat us two times this year and we had to at least get one,” said Curtis, who heard the “M-V-P” chants from the Winslow student section afterward.

“We had just had to play defense because defense leads to offense,” Curtis said of his team’s play.

Alchesay, however, did not go down quietly as Antonio, who finished a team-high 15 points, cut Winslow’s lead down to 44-42 with 5:22 left.

The Bulldogs did not relinquish the lead as Curtis kept Winslow afloat as he hit back-to-back shots for a 48-44 advantage.

The visiting Falcons cut that lead in half with a basket from Antonio, but Chee nailed his fourth trey for a 51-46 cushion with 2:17 to go.

The two clubs traded points and Alchesay got as close as 53-51 following a trey by junior guard Austin Mason (10 points) with 1:40 left.

Following an Alchesay timeout, the Bulldogs worked the shot clock down to five second before they got an insurance bucket from Curtis for the game’s final score.

“We were evenly matched,” Alchesay coach Kyle Goklish said. “We beat them at home, and we beat them on their home court and tonight they came out on top.”

Goklish says the difference came down to Winslow hitting their shots late in the game.

“They made their shots when they needed them,” the Alchesay coach said. “Down the stretch, they made some plays, and we didn’t make plays, so hats off to them.

“They played tough and, you know, we wish them well in the playoffs,” he added.

With the AIA reseeding the teams, Winslow earned the No. 14 seed for the playoffs as the Bulldogs travels to No. 3 Coolidge on Tuesday night.

Other first round pairings include No. 6 Chinle hosting No. 11 Yuma Catholic while No. 7 Holbrook entertaining 3A East rival Snowflake, which received the No. 10 seed. The tipoffs for all the game are scheduled for 7 p.m.

The higher seeded winners from Tuesday’s game will host the state quarterfinals on Friday, Feb. 20. The semifinals are set for Friday, Feb. 27 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the 3A Conference championship game will be played at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28.

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