Piñon’s press seals the deal in final minutes against Valley

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

PIÑON, Ariz. – The Piñon Lady Eagles capped their regular season finale with a thrilling 66-63 come-from-behind victory over the Valley Sanders Lady Pirates on Saturday night, electrifying a large crowd at Piñon High School.

The win snapped Valley’s five-game winning streak in the series, which dated back to the 2022-23 season when they outscored the Lady Eagles by an average of 63.2 to 35.8 points.

Piñon was led by junior standout Shanna Begaye, who poured in 29 points, while senior Avril Sage contributed 20. Valley countered with strong performances from juniors Alayna Begaye and Trinity Mitchell, who scored 17 points each, and Odessa Begay, who added 14 in the losing effort.

The first quarter set the tone for an intense matchup. Valley’s Mitchell wasted no time, draining a 3-pointer to open the scoring, but Sage quickly responded with a trey for Piñon.

Both teams executed offensively, with Valley edging out Piñon 24-19. Mitchell led Valley with nine points on three 3-pointers, while senior Mishayla Robertson chipped in five points, and Alayna Begaye and Nevaeh Benally added four each.

For Piñon, Shanna Begaye tallied nine points, and Sage knocked down two 3-pointers for six points.

The Eagles roared back in the second quarter with a 13-point run that started late in the first quarter and extended until the 4:00 mark in the second when Valley’s Alayna Begaye finally broke the drought with a layup for the Pirates, cutting the deficit to 33-26.

During Piñon’s run, Sage nailed two 3-pointers, and Shanna Begaye added another. Valley responded with a 7-1 spurt, fueled by five points from Mitchell, to pull within one point at 34-33.

After a Piñon timeout, the Lady Eagles closed the half strong, outscoring Valley 7-3 to take a 41-36 lead into the break. Shanna Begaye and Sage led Piñon with nine points each in the quarter, while Alayna Begaye and Mitchell paced Valley.

Valley regained momentum in the third quarter, outscoring Piñon 14-5 to take a 50-46 lead. The Lady Pirates opened with a 10-1 run as Piñon struggled offensively, missing five straight shots and committing four turnovers.

Odessa Begay sparked Valley with six points, including a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Piñon’s Shanna Begaye was limited to just one point in the quarter, while teammates Kylie Bia and Hanka Benally added two points each.

The final quarter showcased both teams’ determination. Piñon erupted for 20 points, led by Shanna Begaye’s 10 points. Despite missing their first six free-throw attempts of the quarter, the Eagles found their rhythm when it mattered most.

With the score tied at 52-52, Valley surged ahead with a 9-2 run, highlighted an uncontested 3-pointer from Benally and layup from Mitchell. Valley’s Odessa Begay capped the run with another layup for a 61-54 lead with 3:17 remaining.

But Piñon refused to back down. Shanna Begaye’s layup and Sage’s critical 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 61-59. Shanna Begaye then tied the game at 61-61 with 2:24 left.

Piñon’s aggressive press in the final minutes stifled Valley, limiting them to two more points to close the game. Sage and Shanna Begaye sealed the victory, combining for the final five points, including a clutch 3-for-4 performance from the free-throw line.

Piñon head coach Starla McCurtain praised her team’s resilience: “I talked to them about staying focused and executing what we practice. We practice a lot of defense, and I told them the team with the most heart will win. Tonight, we outplayed them, and I’m very proud of our girls.”

Addressing Valley’s decision not to foul in the final minutes, McCurtain noted, “Credit to Valley—they’re a good team. They knew that fouling would put us in the bonus, so they defended us well. But we found a way to win.”

Piñon finished the regular season with an 11-14 record, 4-7 in 2A North play, securing sixth place as they await seeding for the regional tournament.

Valley (12-11, 5-3 in 2A North) will face Many Farms (17-8, 6-2) on Monday before concluding their regular season.

“We’re going to take it one game at a time,” McCurtain said while referring to the regional tournament that Piñon will host later this week. “The 2A North is tough, but if we play like we did tonight, we can compete with anyone.”

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