Lady Cougars scorch nets, next up SFIS

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Mar 10, 2022 | Basketball |

WINDOW ROCK

The Tohatchi Lady Cougars welcomed Brooke Badonie back into the lineup on Tuesday night.

The Tohatchi sophomore was coming off a leg injury she suffered on Feb. 12.

Badonie was one of three players in double figures as she helped No. 2 seed Tohatchi to a 56-34 win over No. 5 Hatch Valley in the 3A state quarterfinals.

“This is her first game back,” Tohatchi coach Tanisha Bitsoi said. “She had limited minutes, but in the limited minutes she had 13 points.”

The Cougars (23-7) also got 17 points from Marisa Denetso as the Tohatchi sharpshooter hit five treys. Kiana Bia tallied 10 and two 3s.

“Our shots were falling and we just had a collective effort,” Bitsoi said of the offensive production.

Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
Tohatchi Lady Cougar Brooke Badonie (4) uses one hand to set up her shot for 2 points during second half quarter final action against Hatch Valley Lady Bear Jaylinn Moriel (22) and her teammates on Tuesday night in Tohatchi.

Defensively, the Cougars used several defensive sets to stymie the visiting Hatch Valley Lady Bears.

“They had one guard that could penetrate, so we mixed up full court press, man-to-man and zone defense,” Bitsoi said. “And they stayed with us for the first half but we hit some big shots from beyond the 3-point arc in the third quarter.

“That changed the momentum of the game,” she said.

The Cougars will now put their focus on No. 3 seed Santa Fe Indian School as the two teams will square off today at 3:30 p.m. at the Pit in Albuquerque.

“We’re excited to playing in the Pit,” Bitsoi said. “Usually we have to go play in Rio Rancho before we get to the Pit for the (state) championship game, but they’re presenting this opportunity for them to play in the Pit for the semifinals.”

Bitsoi has somewhat of an idea to how to get by the Lady Braves. Earlier this season, she caught a glimpse of the Santa Fe Indian squad during the Striking Eagle tournament in Albuquerque.

“I’ve seen them play Navajo Prep,” the Tohatchi coach said. “I feel like we match up pretty well with them, and I feel like our post players have to be more aggressive in rebounding.

“If we play good defense we’ll have an opportunity to play in the championship game,” she added.

The other semifinal features top seed Las Vegas Robertson and No. 5 Crownpoint. On Tuesday, the Lady Eagles rallied from nine points down late in the fourth and stunned No. 4 Navajo Prep with a 39-34 overtime win.

“I think it’s awesome and neat that we have two teams in the Final Four from our district,” Bitsoi said. “I’ve always said that we have one of the toughest and most competitive district in 3A. I’m proud of Crownpoint making it.”