Flagstaff, Coconino, St. Michael’s girls end seasons at state

CHINLE

On Friday evening, the Flagstaff Lady Eagles and Coconino’s Lady Panthers ended their basketball seasons during the second round of the Arizona 4A state tournament.

On Saturday, the St. Michael’s Lady Cardinals also finished their season in the 1A state bracket.

The Flagstaff’s Lady Eagles went up against Sahuaro High’s Lady Cougars last Friday. The Lady Eagles gave it their all, but lost 62-56.

From the start it could have been anyone’s game. With a strong offense for Sahuaro and defense from Flagstaff, almost four minutes passed in the first period before the first point was scored.

Sahuaro made the first shot, but Flagstaff was able to surpass them a few minutes later.

From then on, the two teams were locked. Most of the time being separated by four to eight points at most, the two teams continued to chase and pass one another.

Senior Melinda Calnimptewa led the charge for Flagstaff as she made turnovers, saved the ball and scored three-pointers.

“Melinda Calnimptewa, man, she left it all on the floor,” said Flagstaff coach Tyrone Johnson. “There was one time where the ball was bouncing around; the other team was about to get it and she dived in about five feet away to possess the ball.

“She hit a couple of timely threes,” he said. “She really put it all out there. I really can’t say enough about her and the effort she put forth tonight, I just wished there was a victory behind it.”

After halftime Sahuaro showed more aggression as they broke through Flagstaff’s defense while the Lady Eagles struggled. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Cougars finally pulled ahead, putting pressure on the Eagles, making it difficult for them to make their shots.

It was Sahuaro’s game by the end, ending the season for Flagstaff.

“I think we had some girls that played really hard, they truly left everything on the court,” Johnson said. “When your girls do that and they give you everything they got, that’s all you can ask for.

“I think there are some things that didn’t go our way, we had some turnovers that were late that when they took the lead that helped them sustain their lead and made it tough for us to cut into it,” he said.

Although disappointed, Johnson still applauded his team for playing not just a good game, but also for playing in a chaotic season. The Lady Eagles ended the season No. 5 in the 4A Division and with a 17-3 record.

“The game was tough, I really felt like we had the potential to be in the final four but we fell just a little bit short,” Johnson said.

Coconino falls

That same night, the Coconino’s Lady Panthers fought their own battle as they faced Seton Catholic Prep’s Sentinels in a game that ended 64-31.

Despite the score, Coconino made Seton earn the victory.

The Lady Panthers played an aggressive defense. However Seton had an equally strong offense.

Coconino started the game fierce, making bold moves and attempting difficult shots during the first quarter. They chased Seton all the way, but weren’t able to make their baskets as the Sentinels caused turnovers and found gaps in Coconino’s defense.

“We played hard,” said Coconino coach Cassie Schrader. “We didn’t quite hit open shots as much as we wanted to. We played pretty good, hard-nose, man-to-man defense.”

Junior Wynter Huskie was on the floor most of the game, handling the ball and making great passes. Not long after the game began, Seton recognized her talent and had her covered almost all the time.

Similarly, Kiana Manuelito was one of the best for the Lady Panthers. She got into foul trouble early but stayed for most of the game.

With this being her final season, Manuelito did everything she could to get the victory, making baskets and getting rebounds.

Schrader was proud of her team this season. Although this game was a loss, she was proud that the team kept their heads up and played until the very end.

Coconino’s girls’ varsity ended the season ranked No. 9 in the 4A Division with an 11-4 record.

“I commend them for sure,” Schrader said. “They go to school remotely, which is a tough change for them. They were excited about basketball, more excited than I ever seen, and they showed up every day for practice.

“They got a bunch of wins, got a lot further than people expected and we proved them wrong,” he said. “The team set the standard in the middle of a pandemic, that’s the most important part about this team.”

St. Michael girls

Meanwhile on Saturday, the St. Michael’s Lady Cardinals played Fort Thomas and lost 51-36.

The Lady Cardinals kept pace with the accurate shooting Apaches, but they had trouble staying consistent as Fort Thomas pulled away.

Despite Fort Thomas’s immense lead, coach Carl Adams said the girls continued to play until the end and gave their all.

“It wasn’t really a good game for us,” Adams said. “I definitely think we could have done things different.

“Our girls gave it everything they could, they went 110 percent,” he said. “For Fort Thomas, everything dropped for them. Their centers worked hard and got everything to the inside. As a result, we ended up losing that game.”

Star Anderson scored most of St. Michael’s points during the game, working both on the outer and inner court. The senior played a key role in most of the Lady Cardinal’s victories prior to this game and Saturday was no exception as it was her final game and she made it a rememberable one.

“Star is definitely our player of the year and player of the game,” Adams said. “We are going to miss her because she is a senior this year.”

The Lady Cardinals finished the season No. 3 in the 1A division and No. 2 in the 1A Northeast.

They won 10 out of 13 games and were the only team from the Navajo Nation to compete this year.

“We always remind the girls, there is a game beyond basketball, there is a life beyond basketball,” Adams said. ‘We have always told the girls that a game does not define their whole life.

“We would love to win the game and be in that championship game again, but that’s just how it works,” he said. “The greatest thing about this game is that you work so hard to be successful and when it doesn’t pan out you just work twice as hard.”

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