Chinle, Alchesay girls to meet in 3A state title game

PHOENIX

On Friday evening, the 3A state semifinal games were decided for both boys and girls.

In the girls’ bracket, Alchesay overtook Holbrook, 64-37, and Chinle trump Bourgade Catholic, 49-42, setting up a championship game featuring Navajo vs. Apache.

Chinle was the first to tip off with Bourgade Catholic and the Lady Wildcats started strong.

Playing it close and shooting from different angles, it took a 12-6 first-quarter lead.

However, the Lady Golden Eagles rallied in the second quarter and started chasing Chinle.

Nonetheless, Chinle had an answer. Lady Wildcat Aisha Ashely made a variety of shots from the free-throw line, inside the paint, and the 3-point line.

Meanwhile, Ashlyn Lynch made steals and snuck in a basket before the Lady Golden Eagles saw her. Shaundiin Yazzie, Qoah Yazzie, and the rest of the Wildcat team made multiple points and were able to stay ahead of Bourgade Catholic.

Lady Wildcat coach Francine McCurtain was happy and proud of her girl’s accomplishments and thankful for the fans who showed up in support.

“We knew what to expect, it was just us executing our strategies and playing together,” McCurtain said. “We didn’t have a season last year and the girls came out hungry, they want more.”

According to McCurtain, this is the first time the Chinle girls made it to the championship game and the team is feeling excited about it.

“It’s quite an accomplishment, especially for our program and this is my fourth-year coaching in Chine,” she said. “The players I have developed and come through to the program and make it to the championship I’m proud of that.”

The Wildcats will play Alchesay at 4 p.m. in today’s title game at the Arizona Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. This will be the fourth time this season between the two schools with Alchesay winning 2-of-3 previous meetings.

Alchesay

With Alchesay’s huge fan base, the coliseum was filled with chants for the Apache team while scattered cheers from Lady Roadrunner fans can be heard.

The girls played with a strong offense and an equally tough defense. Holbrook’s Talynn Spencer made many steals in the opening minute, but Jazlyn Nosie made the first basket of the game.

Samatha Billie made Holbrook’s first score, but the Lady Falcons got baskets from Nosie and Brandy Edwards as Alchesay took a 16-6 lead after one quarter.
In that opening quarter, Alchesay got multiple steals from Edwards and Shanae Zahgotah.

Alchesay continued to steal the ball and it continued to push forward. The Roadrunner, however, made massive gains with Spencer making a basket and Raelle Yazzie hitting two 3-pointers, trailing four points at halftime.
A basket by Shand Footracer got them within two. However, Alchesay exploded forward again.

Holbrook’s Abigayle Nez exchanged 3-pointers with Jenieth Sanchez and Brandy Edwards, but Alchesay kept up its scoring and built on its lead.

Holbrook remained relentless throughout, but it had trouble making its shots and finding openings while Alchesay took full advantage of its free throws and enjoyed the occasional 3-pointer.
The Falcons advance with a 64-37 win.

“I’m proud of my girls, we got farther than anyone gave us credit for,” Holbrook coach Greg Perkins said. “Nobody was giving us any credit all year but that’s OK. Pretty proud of them for making it to the final four.”

“We had a great season, considering all the stuff we went through,” he said. “(We) had 17 different starters this year because of COVID protocols but I like them because they kept the girls safe.”

Alchesay coach Rick Sanchez said it was a good night with his team making the 3A state title game. This is Alchesay’s fifth title game, but its first in the 3A competition.

“They played great,” Sanchez said. “There were a couple of moments we fell asleep but they’re really good when they want to play and when they play like that they’re tough. They have a passion for the game, they love to play it and when they listen and execute, I don’t think anyone going to beat them.”

He credits Nosie for assisting others and seeing the court. He also praised Jenieth Sanchez for playing strong defense and offense.

“We played Chinle before, it’s going be a lot of fun,” Sanchez said. “It’s the type of game you want to play as a little kid. They’re ready to go and Chinle is tough with a good coach and good program so it’s going to be a battle.”

Alchesay was the 2A state champ in 2019 and they sat idle last season due to COVID as a 3A division member.

Holbrook boys

The Holbrook Roadrunners was the only boys’ team from Navajo that made it to the semis, and it played its hardest against the Coolidge Bears.

With its tall players and confident zeal, the Bears quickly got off to an 8-0 lead before Quentin Thomas made Holbrook’s first basket.

Using its speed and shooting, Coolidge took a 21-11 first-quarter lead.

However, in the next stanza, the Roadrunners attempted a comeback. Taking the ball, Holbrook slowed the game down, forcing the Bears to play out of their comfort zone.

With baskets from Noah Brown and a 3-pointer from Brandon Tapaha and Caden Tom, the Roadrunners closed in on Coolidge 23-21.

However, the Bears took back the ball and made last-minute shots to keep Holbrook at bay as halftime rolled in.

In the third quarter, Coolidge took off again, trying to keep the ball from Holbrook and adapting to their plays. The Roadrunners were starved of points but were able to make last-minute scores from Nick Begayand Brandon Tapaha, bringing them just four points away from a win.

The Bears however put on a final spurt in the last period and retook the court, making fast baskets and keeping the ball from Holbrook.

The Roadrunners struggled to keep up, never slowing down and continuing the battle.

Despite the hard fall, Holbrook coach Delmar Johnson praised his team’s effort and congratulate Coolidge for the win.

“We did the best we could, we just didn’t have an answer for Coolidge,” he said. “A lot of our key players didn’t play the way they did because they were intimidating, and I could understand that. But other than that, we gave it our all, we had a heck of a season and all we can do is take off our hat and say the better team won.”

Johnson said they’ll have a lot of returning players next year, but they will need to work hard to get back to the final four and the championships.

“I’m proud of my players, they gave me everything that I asked this year, even with the two shutdowns due to COVID,” he said. “And we overcame that and to do what we did – that’s incredible.”

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