Chinle pulls win against Page, heads to quarterfinals

PAGE

On Friday night, the Lady Sand Devils hosted Chinle for the second round of the 3A state tournament.

It was a hard-pressed game from the start. Page had an impressive season after being led by new coach Celeste Claw, but Chinle was able to pull away with a surprising 51-42 win.

The Wildcats quickly sprang into action, making consecutive scores and getting out to a 7-0 lead.

Page senior Miqueda Taliman scored Page’s first point at the free throw line, and they battle back to take a 13-11 lead at the end of the first period.

At the half, Page led 23-22.

In the third, Chinle improve their shots and they started to pull away, outscoring the Sand Devils by three points to win the quarter.

Page tried to reclaim the lead, but they were having foul trouble, which put Chine at the free throw line, allowing the Wildcats to get ahead.

The Wildcats attempted to run out the clock, but Page had them covered. However, Chinle’s free throws put them firmly in the lead.

Taliman’s final 3-pointer made the final score 51-42 in favor of Chinle.

This was Chinle’s second straight win over Page, as the Wildcats advances into Monday’s quarterfinals at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

Chinle, the No. 12 seed, will play region rival Monument Valley at 1 p.m.

Chinle coach Francine McCurtain said she was proud of the team effort, especially when fighting a tough opponent on their home court.

“We just had to continue to stay tight on our defense and to make sure we were aware and were communicating,” she said. “Just making sure we were playing a strong defense and staying as solid as we can.”

McCurtain commends her younger classmen for stepping up and playing a role in their victory. This includes her daughter, Qoah Yazzie, who made her free throws.

But overall, it was an all-team effort. McCurtain commending Temyra Bahe for her hustle, Lindsey Yazzie for handing the ball and Aisha Ashley and Leshante Benally for their scoring.

Benally led the Wildcats with 14 points.

The Lady Sand Devils ended the season at 11-5 overall. Despite coming up short, Claw was still proud of the effort her girls showed, knowing that they played their hearts out.

This was Claw’s first year coaching and she has described it as an adrenaline rush.

“It’s been a fun journey,” she said. “I’ll be back next year to do it all over again. (Next) year’s group, they are ready to learn from their mistake and be ready to move forward and are prepared for next year.

“To our seniors they did all they can,” she added.

Taliman capped her high school career with 14 points.

Page will lose four graduating seniors this year, leaving Claw’s team largely intact. Nevertheless, she’s going to miss her seniors while adding that she’s very proud of them.

Other quarterfinal action on Monday includes No. 3 Alchesay tipping off with No. 6 Alchesay at 4 p.m. while No. 7 Holbrook taking on No. 2 Gilbert Christian at 5:30 p.m.

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