Friday, March 29, 2024

Cougars beat top-ranked Whitehorse for the drum

Cougars beat top-ranked Whitehorse for the drum

MONUMENT VALLEY, UTAH

A win over top-ranked Whitehorse wasn’t the only thing the Monument Valley Lady Cougars gained last Friday night.

The fourth-ranked Cougars helped the school take back the prized hand drum the two schools played for as MV topped its archrival by a 74-72 count in the battle between two of Utah’s top 1A teams.

“Coming into this game I just told the girls to treat it like it’s another game,” MV coach Theresa James said. “We didn’t care where we were ranked. We were going to play our game and play hard.”

With the state fixated on the outcome of this contest for state seeding purposes, Whitehorse coach Tiona Grant said there was an added incentive to play this game.

“We missed some inside shots that we should have made but this is a good rivalry between Whitehorse and Monument Valley,” she said. “You see that every year, and every year it’s the Battle of the Drum.”

According to Grant, the two schools battle each other for the right to exhibit the drum at their respective schools. Although the rivalry has been in existence a long time, the teams have played for the drum since the 2015 season.

Entering last week’s game, WHS possessed the drum, having won the football game last fall.

The Cougars took back that shrined trophy by withstanding a late rally by Whitehorse. MV will hold onto that drum for the time being as both schools will renew their rivalry when Whitehorse hosts the Cougars on Jan. 31.

“We’re looking forward to that,” Grant said. “It’s always good competition. The girls love the atmosphere with the crowds being so loud. They feed off their energy.”

In its latest rivalry game, MV gained a 65-57 cushion after senior Jamika Nelson hit her fourth trey of the night with 4:29 remaining in the contest.

The Raiders, however, regained the lead behind a 13-5 run with junior Bahazhoni Filfred scoring five while her older sister Daan Filfred added four as Whitehorse led 70-69 with 1:36 remaining.

The two teams made it a free throw contest with MV nailing 3-of-5 as the contest was knotted at 72-all after Daan Filfred hit a pair with 19 seconds left.

On MV’s ensuing possession, the Cougars hit the game-winning shot on a putback by sophomore Lakenya Begaye with eight seconds remaining and in the closing seconds Nelson stole the ball near midcourt to secure the win.

“We’ve been struggling with the mental part of the game all season long so this was a good win for them,” James said. “It’s a good confidence builder.”

With the rights to own the drum, the MV coach anticipated this game to be highly contested.

“It was an intense game and you know Whitehorse is a tough team to play,” she said. “They always play us tough. Every game that we play comes down to the wire.”

For MV, Nelson was the difference-maker as the senior guard finished with a game-best 41 points.

“Jamika is one of our better players,” James said. “She kind of played under the shadows of some of the girls last season but this year she’s come out and she’s leading the team. She’s working really hard and she is just super strong and a super player.”

With the talent they lost last season, Nelson felt the need to step up her game against Whitehorse. Her knack for getting to the rim kept MV in the contest as they led 36-31 at the break as she put in 26 of those points.

“I knew that they (Whitehorse) were going to keep scoring so I was like ‘I got to keep pushing myself,’” Nelson said. “I needed to keep scoring so that I can help my team stay on top.”

James said Nelson’s speed makes her tough to guard.

“She’s always had speed but during the summer she focused on weight training and conditioning so she’s gotten faster,” she said of her pupil. “She’s an awesome player.”

Whitehorse, meanwhile, was paced by the Filfred sisters as Bahazhoni finished with 27 and Daan added 23.

“They have been playing with each other for a long time,” Grant said. “They trust each other and you can see that. They’re a good duo but I’m wanting them to trust others on the court.”

The second-year coach said she was missing some upperclassmen who are out with injuries.

“We’re just unbalanced right now,” she said. “Once we bring in our core players I think we’re going to be a stronger team.”

Of course, that aspect entails trusting one another.

“As long as we can keep building on that we’re going to start working more as a team,” she said. “It’s getting there. It’s a work in progress but I’m trying to speed up the process because regions has already started.”

And while they came up on the short end, Grant said their latest setback “is not going to define how we’re going to end our season.”

“This is going to help us get better for our next game,” she said. “We have an opportunity to learn from this.”

The Raiders are coming off a fourth-place finish at state last season with a majority of the players returning.

This is my second year coaching and the foundation was established last year, which is great,” she said. “With the girls that return we’re just working on team dynamics.”

With the Utah High School Activities Association using a rating percentage index, Grant said they are looking to gain one of the top seeds for next month’s state tournament, which starts on Feb. 22.

“We’re hoping to get a first-round bye,” she said.

Statewide, the Whitehorse coach said Panguitch is one of the teams to look out for as the Lady Bobcats have won five of the past six state titles.

“They’re a great team,” she said. “It’s always good to see them play and I believe they’re still the team to beat.”


About The Author

Quentin Jodie

Quentin Jodie is the Sports Editor for the Navajo Times. He started working for the Navajo Times in February 2010 and was promoted to the Sports Editor position at the end of summer in 2012. Previously, he wrote for the Gallup Independent. Reach him at qjodie@navajotimes.com

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