Northern teams well represented at quarterfinals

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Feb 24, 2020 | Basketball |

Navajo Times | File
Ganado Lady Hornet Abigail Benally (23) dribbles away from Tuba City’s Thalia Susanyatame during a game on Feb. 14. Both teams are in action in today’s Arizona 3A state playoffs at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz.

WINDOW ROCK

The teams from the northern region of the state will be well represented in today’s Arizona 3A girls state quarterfinals.

Of the eight teams left, four of those squads are from the 3A North.

The Ganado Lady Hornets will start today’s slate of games with No. 13 seed Snowflake at 1 p.m. at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz.

Following that game, No. 6 Tuba City will play No. 3 American Leadership Academy-Gilbert North at 2:30 p.m.

At 4 p.m. second-seeded Page will lock horns with No. 10 Holbrook in a rematch of last year’s state title game.

In the finale, No. 8 Chinle plays top-seeded Tucson Sabino at 5:30 p.m.

The winners from today’s contest advance to Friday’s semis, which will be played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix with the championship game scheduled for Saturday.

Of the teams remaining, Holbrook coach Greg Perkins said the Sand Devils are the team to beat.

“They’re the best team in 3A, no question,” Perkins said. “Everybody knows that. They’re the best defensive team so we have to be ready for that.”

The longtime Holbrook coach added the Sand Devils are just as good on the offensive end.

“They have some good guards and they great post players,” he said. “They’re just an all-around team. They’ve been there before and we’ve been there too.”

Tuba City coach Kim Williams is also expecting a tough matchup against ALA-Gilbert North, a team that features five Diné players.

One of those players, Tiffany Quigley, traveled with Williams over the summer to play basketball in Spain as part of an all Native girls’ team.

“I know she’s a big part of her team,” Williams said of Quigley. “The offense runs through her and she’s an excellent passer.”

Williams said they have been working on defensive schemes in handcuffing what ALA-Gilbert North likes to run.

“We’ve worked on some stuff but the bottom line is we have to play our game defensively,” Williams said. “We need to push the ball and get out in transition as much as we can.”