KC hands Lady Scorps their first loss

By Truman Begaye
Special to the Times

KIRTLAND, N.M. – The Farmington Lady Scorpions (7-1) endured their first loss of the season Tuesday night in a 51-40 matchup against the Kirtland Central Lady Broncos in Kirtland, New Mexico.

Despite a dominant 13-2 third-quarter performance, the Lady Scorpions could not overcome Kirtland Central’s relentless defensive pressure, which frustrated junior guard Kjani Anitielu during key stretches of the game.

Kirtland Central’s sixth win of the season was fueled by junior Haylee Nakai, who led the team with 10 points, and sophomore Elaina Clani, who contributed nine points, including seven in the first quarter. For Farmington, Anitielu led all scorers with 14 points, while junior forward Caris Dale added nine.

The game began with both teams trading baskets with KC taking a 12-10 lead at the 3:13 mark. But the Lady Broncos closed out the quarter with a commanding 10-2 run, highlighted by two 3-pointers from Clani and sophomore Zoey Benally.

Kirtland Central entered the second quarter with a 22-12 advantage. Benally finished the quarter with five points, while Clani’s seven-point contribution gave the Lady Broncos early momentum. Farmington’s scoring efforts were led by Anitielu with five points and Dale with four.

Kirtland Central’s dominance continued into the second quarter, outscoring Farmington 18-11. Junior Krista Tsiniginne-Yazzie led the way with eight points on four field goals. Anitielu struggled to find her rhythm, scoring four points while shooting 2-for-5 from the free-throw line. By halftime, the Lady Broncos had built a commanding 40-23 lead.

The third quarter marked a turning point for the Lady Scorpions, who staged a fierce comeback by outscoring the Lady Broncos 13-2.

Kirtland Central’s only points came from a lone basket by Akeelah Joe. Meanwhile, Farmington’s scoring was a balanced effort from five players, with Dale leading the charge with a three-pointer and an additional bucket to tally five points. The Lady Scorpions trimmed the deficit to six, ending the quarter with the score at 42-36.

Farmington carried its momentum into the fourth quarter until a technical foul called on senior guard Aaliyah Archuleta shifted the game’s trajectory. Kirtland’s junior Elizabeth Yazzie sank four consecutive free throws, pushing the lead back to double digits.

Joe and freshman Allyson Tsosie combined for five points to put the game out of reach, securing the 51-40 victory for the Lady Broncos. Anitielu added four points in the final minutes for Farmington, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.

“That first half was some of the prettiest basketball I’ve seen in a while because we gave up good shots for great shots,” said Kirtland head coach Devon Manning in a post-game interview. “We thought we had a good matchup with them. We just had to get out on their shooters and clog their driving lanes. They like to drive quite a bit. Defensively, our girls were very scrappy and were a good group of pests against the Farmington offense.”

Reflecting on the third-quarter performance, Manning acknowledged, “Scoring two points against Farmington or any other great team usually results in a loss. But give our defense praise because they didn’t allow a 20-point quarter. We held them to 13 in that stretch and four in the final quarter. I think during that stretch, offensively, we were selfish. Everything we did right in the first half, we did the complete opposite in the second half.”

Farmington head coach Thomas Adair praised his team’s resilience despite the loss.

“We learn from it. They’re a great team, and Devon Manning is a great coach. We made mistakes, and it cost us the game. What I’m really proud of is the second half and how we allowed them to only score two points. That shows the class our girls have and how resilient they are,” Adair said. “I don’t want to make any excuses, but part of it was legs. We just came off two tournaments, playing four games in five days. Even though we were tired, we fought back.”

Farmington is scheduled to participate in the Hobbs Tournament beginning on December 26. Kirtland Central will resume play with Tohatchi on January 2.

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