Thoreau’s zone defense stifles Mescalero Apache Chiefs in SENAI title game

By Quentin Jodie
Navajo Times

GALLUP – The 1-2 punch of Jordan Calladitto and Elyjiah Becenti can give many teams fits.

On Saturday, the two seniors kept Thoreau afloat in the championship game of the Eagle Bracket at the 2025 Striking Eagle Native American Invitational.

Becenti finished with 13 points while Calladitto added nine as Thoreau turned back Mescalero Apache Chiefs by a 41-30 count for the tournament title at Miyamura High School.

“Those two are my captains,” Thoreau coach LaShonda Jones-Shorty said. “They’re very well rounded. They take care of the ball and they’re very good leaders. Elyjiah Becenti is very vocal with his team, and that’s what I love the most about him. He keeps the players in check, so that’s what we need. And Jordan just loves to handle the ball, so he directs the offense.”

Based on their play during the tournament, they were both named to the all-tournament team with Calladitto earning the MVP award.

“I’ve been playing with these boys for like eight, nine years so I’m glad that we got to take this victory together,” Calladitto said. “I’m glad that I won this tournament with my boys.”

Mescalero Apache coach Kiefer Comanche applauded Calladitto’s play, especially his ballhandling skills.

“He’s a really good guard,” Comanche said of Calladitto. “He handled our pressure really well. Defensively, our plan was to speed up players but when you have a guy like him, it’s hard to speed them up.”

Offensively, it was Becenti who provided the early spark as he scored six points that helped Thoreau to a 14-5 first quarter advantage.

In the second quarter though, Mescalero Apache got settled in with senior guard Landyn Hiles scoring four of his team-best 10 points. His second basket with 31 seconds left cut Thoreau’s lead down to 19-18.

The Hawks, however, got a last second basket from Becenti for a 21-18 halftime advantage.

In the third, the Chiefs grabbed its only lead at 22-21 when Hiles hit a pair from the charity line with 5:31 left. The complexion of the game took on a new twist when Thoreau found its zone defense to be more effective in the last 1.5 quarters.

“We took out their big man,” Jones-Shorty said. “We noticed that their plays go through the big man, and so we had to put a stop to that because once it goes to him, they like to kick it out.

“I think that’s where the game changed,” she added.

The stat sheets proved that as the Chiefs went 3-of-17 from the field while turning over the ball eight times in the final 13 minutes of the contest.

“Their zone gave us some trouble,” Comanche said. “We couldn’t get anything going.”

The Mescalero Apache coach also attributed the loss to turnovers, lapses on the defensive end, and their 5-of-13 effort from the charity line.

“That is what killed us,” he said. “With the free throws that we missed, we’re not gonna win a lot of games like that.”

From the perimeter, Mescalero Apache went 1-of-13 from the 3-point line with freshman guard Travien Comanche making the Chiefs’ only trey.

“My best shooter is Avin Yellowcloud, but he wasn’t on tonight,” the Mescalero Apache coach said. “He’s a really best shooter.”

With the win, Thoreau improved to 5-4 overall as they will travel to Hot Springs on Saturday for a nondistrict game. Next week, the Hawks open the Gallup Invitational with the Bengals on Jan. 8.

“We’re taking this (tournament) win as a confidence builder,” Jones-Shorty said. “A lot of our guys hesitate with their gameplay, so we want use this to build their confidence.”

Looking ahead, the Thoreau coach believes her team is well equipped to handle the likes of playing district opponents Tohatchi, Navajo Prep and Wingate.

“I feel like we’re all looking pretty even,” Jones-Shorty said. “Every team is contesting so it’s gonna come down to who wants it more.”

Since the start of the season, Jones-Shorty has scouted the other teams in the district, and she’s noted their energy.

“Just like us, they all have energy,” she said. “They got energy on the press, and they got energy with man defense so they can move.”

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