Shiprock turns back Gallup: Chieftains sink 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to pull away

By Santiago Ramos Jr.
Special to the Times

GALLUP – It turned out to be a track meet.

The hometown Gallup Bengals and the Shiprock Chieftains found themselves in a fast-paced run-and-gun basketball game that at times looked more like a track meet with players running the fastbreak on nearly every possession.

But in the end free throws, during which all 10 players on the court are stationary, proved to be the key stat.

The Chieftains sank 5-of-6 free throws in the final 39 seconds to pull away from the Bengals for a 71-62 district win.

For the game Shiprock (11-6) converted 16-of-20 free throws, or 80%, and also 7-of-8 in the pivotal fourth quarter that sealed the victory. Gallup (6-10) made 9-of-12 at the line, 75%, but had no attempts in the final period, which proved to be decisive.

With a three-point lead and the ball late in the game, Shiprock opted to slow down the pace and went to spread offense in order to draw the foul.

The Bengals fouled senior guard Nevaughn Begay who went to the free throw line and canned both of his free throws to give Shiprock a little breathing room. With time running out and trailing by five, the Bengals were forced to foul to stop the clock.

Begay, who poured in a game-high 28 points with three treys, was fouled at both the :39 and :12 marks The 5-foot-10 senior guard, who canned a perfect 11-for-11 at the line, sank all four free throws that sealed the district road win for the Chieftains.

In a wild opening quarter, there was not much defense by either team with the run-and-gun and run-and-shoot style of play.

Begay tallied 10 of his 28 points while senior forward Donte Nelson scored five of his 12 points in the opening quarter to fuel the Chieftain offense.

A last-second three-point buzzer beater by Chieftain senior guard Stephen Hadley, who chipped in 10 points, gave Shiprock a slim 22-21 lead at the end of the opening quarter. In the first quarter alone, Shiprock attempted 22 shots while Gallup had 17.

The hectic pace spilled over to the second quarter.

Bengal sophomore guard Jayson Bruner, who tallied 17 points, sprinted down court and scored at the buzzer to close out the first half with Gallup on top, 36-31.

Bengal Bruner lofted an NBA-trey in the third quarter as Gallup took a 43-37 advantage. The Chieftains battled back to pull to within one point, 49-48, on a putback by freshman guard Ashton Keith. Baskets by Bengal Trelin Bruner, who scored 10 points, Joshua Keeto, who tallied 17 points, and Jayson Bruner gave Gallup its last lead of the game.

But that set up a 6-0 Shiprock run as the Chieftains slipped into the lead for the ninth and final lead change of the game with :20 left in the third quarter after Begay swished a pair of free throws.

The nonstop fast break action had some of the fans fanning themselves during the heated action while the three officials were dripping profusely with sweat on their foreheads trying to keep up with the high-energy action.

Neither team had interest in running its half court offense to set up plays much of the game.

First-year Gallup head coach Mark Teel said he was content with the fast pace.

“We meant to play at that pace,” Teel said. “That’s the pace that gives us the best chance to win. We didn’t win because we didn’t execute down the end and they (Shiprock) did. We turned the ball over at crucial times. And we did not execute our plays.”

Both teams struggled from the field. Shiprock hit on 24-of-62 shots for 39 percent shooting. Gallup nearly matched that with 24-of-63 shooting for 38 percent. The Bengals enjoyed a slight advantage on the boards – 40 to 33. In the turnover department, Gallup finished with 26 turnovers and Shiprock had 22.

Despite winning, second-year Shiprock boys head coach Larenson Henderson, who returned four players this season, admitted: “With our size we have to find other ways to score.”

Shiprock turned back Rehoboth Christian 63-51 Monday night at the Chieftain Pit in non-district play. The Chieftains outscored the Lynx in the fourth quarter 26 to 13 to pull away for its latest win.

“We had players come off the bench and hit some big shots,” Henderson said. “I think three to be exact, and then they executed and did not turn the ball over. Down the stretch they did very good.”

Shiprock (11-6 overall, 2-0 district) will entertain Miyamura (1-16, 0-2) tonight in district action while Gallup (6-10, 1-1) will travel to Aztec (3-15 overall, 0-2 district), also tonight in district play.

The Bengals will then host Kirtland Central (8-9, 2-0) Saturday in another district contest. The Broncos topped the Tigers 59-56 in a close district contest Saturday.

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