Chinle celebrates Lady Wildcat’s success

Posted by David Smith | Mar 17, 2022 | Basketball |

CHINLE

Chinle celebrated its girls basketball team that went to the finals and lost by two points, winning the contender trophy in 3A, the second in Chinle’s history in over 40 years.

Navajo Times | David Smith
Chinle high school students hold banners supporting their girls basketball team. Chinle held a parade to commemorate the Lady Wildcat’s first state championship appearance in over 40 years.

Chinle coach Francine McCurtain nevertheless was proud of the girls’ achievements, going farther than anyone has predicted the team would.

“I’m very happy and proud of the girl’s performance during the 3A conference championship, it was a battle all the way through,” McCurtain said. “It was a sight to see they waited two years for this again, and there was no letdown.”

Last Thursday, Chinle hosted a parade and a luncheon for the Lady Wildcats and their families. Not even a surprise blizzard deterred the revelers as parents and students lined the sidewalk and cheered on their team.

“I definitely felt proud to be honored by our Chinle community,” McCurtain said. “Yes, it snowed, and I wondered if anyone would even be outside to be a part of our parade, but it was a great sight to see our students, teachers, staff, and even parents and fans of our community outside to wave at us and cheer for us.”

Their escort was marching through the snow, the Chinle ROTC class, followed by the girls on a trailer bed as they waved and thew candy. Behind them were the school and sports administrators in cars with their banners and signs. Through the cold winds, people cheered as they traveled from the junior high, passed the elementary school, and ended at the high school where they were treated with lunch.

While eating in the gymnasium, presenters congratulated the team for their underdog season and gave them many good wishes. The teammates and their families also took the stand, sharing kind words and tears equally.

Chinle athletic director Shaun Martin felt immense pride for the Lady Wildcats and the pride and excitement they gave the school through the winter.

“It was definitely a challenge at the start of the snow, but given the characteristics of our team and the community, it was fun because I think the snow just added to it,” Martin said.

The Lady Wildcats had to overcome a lot of obstacles this year. From having no previous season to having a fickle start in this year’s competition and then being ranked No. 12 as the state tournament started. Despite that, the girls steadily rose through the ranks and faced No. 6 Alchesay at the finals, the first time the Lady Wildcats made it to the championship since the 70s.

“Who doesn’t love an underdog story?” Martin said. “I think through the strength and resiliency of our girls and the quality coaching of coach McCurtain (and her assistant coaches), we were able to let our girls play the way their strength shine, letting their ability come to the surface, and that’s what led them to the championship game.”

It was a hard-fought match, stretching into overtime as fans from the Navajo and Apache Nations went wild as the evenly matched teams continued to score. By the end, the Lady Falcons walked away with the 3A title, winning with 66-64.

Although the girls suffered heartache from the incredibly close game, the Chinle community embraced them last Thursday and thanked them for a great season.

“We used that intensity and energy in the game to bring the best out and leave everything on the floor,” McCurtain said. “Basketball is a huge factor on the reservation before the pandemic, and it was even more because it brought a sense of healing to us, healed our hardships, healed our losses, and healed the year we did not have because of COVID. It brought us some pride and happiness.”

Martin hopes that the parade will inspire potential athletes to go out for sports that the success of the Chinle basketball program will begin a dynasty as new young players want to go for the gold.

He thanks the school board, administration, and school security team for allowing them to have a parade and making it safe. He also thanks colleagues and parent volunteers for making it happen. He believes the event helped raise spirits after a challenging year of the pandemic.

McCurtain will be losing six seniors, leaving her with a group of young players, but she believes she can build them up. Every year she thinks she has a team that can make it to state; it’ll be up to the students to believe in that.

“I am just thankful for the season we had, and I am very proud of our Lady Cats,” McCurtain said. “I am beyond happy that our fans really supported us. Thanks to our school district, who always puts the students first and works as a team to make everything happen. It was a great season, and can’t wait to see what the future will bring to our Lady Wildcats program.”