Monument Valley pulls away in overtime thriller over Window Rock

By Truman Begaye
Special to the Times

WINDOW ROCK – An overtime thriller at the Bee Hółdzil Events Center lifted the Monument Valley Mustangs to a 54-51 victory over the Window Rock Fighting Scouts on Saturday night, following two straight losses to Tuba City and Chinle.

Window Rock senior Jaylen Brown forced overtime in the closing seconds of regulation, rebounding a missed 3-point attempt and pulling up for a jumper to tie the game at 44-44. In overtime, Monument Valley sealed the win behind a 3-pointer from Keondro Begay and timely free-throw shooting.

“We just worked on our defense more,” Monument Valley head coach Anderson Holiday said. “I didn’t know what kind of personnel they had with this group, so I told them to just play hard defense and run our offense.”

Monument Valley senior Jayden Tsosie led the Mustangs with 22 points, while Begay added 16. Brown scored a game-high 21 points to pace Window Rock, mostly at the free-throw line and on field goals. Junior Makye Gilbert followed with 19 points, and Xavier McCoy contributed nine.

The Fighting Scouts held a slim edge early, outscoring Monument Valley 9-6 in the opening quarter. Gilbert scored five points to lead Window Rock, while Brown and McCoy each added a field goal. Monument Valley received balanced scoring from juniors Cooper Young, Hunter Worker, and Tyrin Yazzie, who combined for six points.

Monument Valley responded in the second quarter, outscoring Window Rock 14-9 to take a 20-18 halftime lead. The Scouts briefly pushed ahead 16-9 midway through the quarter before the Mustangs answered with a five-point run. A late foul allowed junior Mekhi Parrish to convert free throws just before halftime to give Monument Valley the lead. Tsosie, Begay, and Parrish each scored four points in the quarter.

The Mustangs took control in the third quarter, opening with an 11-point run to build a 31–20 advantage. Tsosie poured in 13 points in the period, the most by any player in a quarter, as Monument Valley extended its lead to 39-32 entering the fourth.

Window Rock mounted its comeback in the final quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 12-5. A seven-point run tied the game at 39-39 with 5:43 remaining, setting the stage for Brown’s game-tying jumper in the closing seconds to force overtime.

In the extra period, Window Rock pulled within two at 50-48 with one minute remaining before Begay drilled a 3-pointer to swing momentum back to Monument Valley. Junior Blaine Sullivan added a free throw to push the lead to five. The Scouts closed within three after free throws from Brown, but Gilbert’s final three-point attempt missed as the Mustangs held on.

“It feels good,” Holiday said. “We’re slowly getting to where we want to be now that we’ve made the regionals.”

Monument Valley will host sixth-seeded Ganado on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 4 p.m. to open the 3A North Region basketball tournament. Fifth-seeded Window Rock will travel to Page to face the fourth-seeded Sand Devils. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, February 7, at 2 p.m. at the Wildcat Den in Chinle.

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