Kirtland Central hands Farmington first loss of the season
Special to the Times | Lee Begaye
Kirtland Central sophomore Allyson Tsosie (left) deflects a shot attempted by Farmington senior Carly Conley during the 62-48 win over previously undefeated Farmington on Friday night at Scorpion Arena.
By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times
FARMINGTON — Kirtland Central turned an early deficit into a statement win Friday night, handing Farmington its first loss of the season with a 62-48 victory in front of a capacity crowd.
Senior Allyson Tsosie led the Broncos with 15 points as Kirtland Central used a dominant second quarter to pull away. Two other Broncos finished in double figures, fueling a balanced offensive effort that proved too much for the previously unbeaten Scorpions.
Farmington opened the game strong, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first three minutes behind paint points from senior center Carly Conley and senior forward Caris Dale. Kirtland Central responded quickly, trimming the deficit to 5-4 with four minutes left in the quarter.
Dale briefly sparked the Scorpions again with a 3-pointer as Farmington pushed its lead to 12-6 with just over a minute remaining. But the momentum shifted quickly in the quarter. Senior Kaylynn Cadman knocked down a 3-pointer to ignite an 8-0 run that carried the Broncos into a 14-12 lead by the end of the first.
“The first six minutes we started out with nerves,” Kirtland Central head coach Devon Manning said. “Allyson was pushing it a little hard, and I think we were trying to make big plays early and playing to Farmington’s style. Once we settled in, things started to open up.”
That composure showed in the second quarter as Kirtland Central surged ahead. Seven Broncos scored during a 24-12 quarter that built a commanding 38-24 halftime lead. Sophomore Saige Sorrelhorse provided a key spark, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers as the Broncos began to stretch the floor and move the ball effectively.
“They fed off the momentum from the end of the first quarter,” Manning said. “The ball movement got better, shots started falling, and Farmington had a hard time defending us.”
Cadman added five points in the quarter, while three other Broncos chipped in baskets. For Farmington, Dale led the scoring with four points in the period, while senior Kjani Anitielu added three, going 1-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Farmington showed some fight in the third quarter, outscoring Kirtland Central 11-9, but the Scorpions were unable to cut significantly into the deficit. Anitielu led the way with five points, while three other players scored two each. Tsosie paced the Broncos with four points in the quarter, and Zoey Benally added a 3-pointer as Kirtland Central maintained a 47-35 advantage heading into the final frame.
The Broncos closed the door in the fourth quarter, outscoring Farmington 15-13. Tsosie scored five points in the period, while Benally and Taylor Harina each added three. Senior Chenoa Parrish led Farmington with five points in the quarter, but the Scorpions could not mount a late rally.
Anitielu finished with 12 points to lead Farmington, while Dale added 11 in the loss.
Kirtland Central (7-1) will travel to face Tohatchi (7-3) on Dec. 30. Farmington (8-1) heads to the Hobbs Tournament, where the Scorpions will face Americas (15-2) of El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 29.
Get instant access to this story by purchasing one of our many e-edition subscriptions HERE at our Navajo Times Store.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow