Piñon boys top Ganado, looking for strong finish

BURNSIDE, Ariz.

With two weeks left in the regular season, the Piñon boys’ basketball team is making a push for a top finish.

The Eagles remain in the hunt for one of the top seeds in the 2A North tournament, scheduled for Feb. 10-12 at Round Valley High.

The two teams that make the tournament finals will get at least a play-in game for the 2A state playoffs.

“We want to finish at least No. 1 or 2,” third-year Eagle coach Alonzo Bert said following last Friday’s 53-43 win over Ganado.

“We’re aiming for that, and we’ll see what happens from here on out,” he said.

The Eagles are sitting fourth with a 4-2 record in 2A North play following Tuesday’s conference games. It trails Hopi (2-0), Valley Sanders (2-0), and Round Valley (3-2).

The eight-team conference had several games either canceled or rescheduled as some schools were paused due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

As a result, Bert said the conference race looks a bit murky as some teams have played only a few conference games.

Nonetheless, he’s hoping that his team can make a run during the region tournament.

“Hopefully, we can be one of the two teams that make the championship game,” he said.

Piñon has five games left, including four region games on its schedule. Bert said he would like to tweak a few things, particularly the teams’ turnover numbers.

“We need to know how to control the tempo,” Bert said. “We’re hitting our free throws, getting rebounds, and we’re pressuring the ball, but what’s killing us is bad passes. It hurt us throughout the game.”

Piñon had 24 such turnovers against Ganado, including five in a row late in the contest as the Eagles saw a 10-point cushion dwindle to a 45-43 with just under a minute left.

“We need to slow down the ball,” Bert said while adding that his club started the season with 30-plus turnovers.

“We got it down to 15, and that is one thing we’re trying to control,” he said. “But, you know, when these boys start getting excited, they start to make those no-look passes, and that’s when we lose the ball.”

Trailing 42-32, the Hornets put together a 11-3 run to close Piñon’s 10-point gap. Dorian Miles got it going with a transition layup at the 3:11 mark.

The Ganado guard then hit back-to-back treys to make it a one-possession game with 56 seconds left.

A three-point play from Piñon’s Dean Klah, however, changed the momentum as the Eagles closed out the game on an 8-0 run.

“I knew they were going to come out more aggressive,” Bert said of the Hornets. “We beat them by seven at our place, so we were expecting a close game. We had to make some changes because Ganado is a tough team.”

Piñon had eight players score, with senior guard Ken Whitehorse leading the way with 15 points. Senior post Murphy James added 10 while junior guard Lane Nelwood added nine.

Ganado coach Julian Chee said he was pleased with the effort he saw from his club, especially when they were down 10 points.

“We’re getting better, and that’s all I can ask from them,” he said. “We’re improving every day, and I’m happy with our performance up until towards the end, but that’s just us needing more conditioning and getting back into shape.”

With their legs not quite under them, Chee said their shots were coming up short. Defensively, they were tripping over their own feet.

“We just ran out of gas,” he said. “You could really see that at the end of the game. We just didn’t have the power to run after the ball.”

With a mixture of seniors and sophomores, Chee feels that his team is starting to turn a corner having a compiled a 2-4 region record following Saturday night’s win over Many Farms.

“I like for us to be on top,” Chee said. “Realistically, my boys have the talent, but we’re still working on their chemistry. I do believe in them, and I feel like they can pick it up.”

With some recent tweaks to its schedule, the Hornets will close out the season with six games, starting with tonight’s interstate game with Wingate as the Bears will visit the Hornets.

On Monday, Ganado will resume region play with Round Valley, followed by a pair of doubleheaders with Valley Sanders on Feb. 1 and Hopi on Feb. 5 at home.

“I want us to be up there, and my boys definitely have that ability,” Chee said. “I’m seeing a lot of growth in my team, and we’re looking at Hopi, Valley, and Round Valley games to help us move up.

“When all the dust settles, it’s going to be a tight race,” he added.

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