Top-ranked Monument Valley improves to 12-1

WINDOW ROCK – The top-ranked Monument Valley, Utah, girls basketball team ran its record to 12-1 on Tuesday night.

The Lady Cougars defeated Rock Point 65-53 for their first win over the Arizona 1A powerhouse.

“We’ve never beaten Rock Point until tonight,” MV coach Terri James said. “We came into this game knowing Rock Point is a tough team. They always have good players and we had trouble defending (Taylyn Woody) and she scored 25 points on us.”

Rock Point also got 10 points from senior Kamry Yazzie.

MV countered that attack with senior forward Neveah Wilson pumping in 25 points of her own while hauling in 14 rebounds. Senior guard Shimequa Hudson chipped in nine points while dishing out seven assists.

Freshman Malayah Blackmountain added seven points while senior forward Precious Bedonie helped with three blocks.

“Overall, it was a team effort,” James said. “The girls played well as a team. Going into the game our focus was rebounding and to have good ball movement.

“We were able to (do that),” she added. “Our perimeter defense was a struggle tonight (but) I’m very happy with the win and how the girls performed.”

The 12-1 mark is one of the best starts that James has had in her five-year tenure. “We’re quite surprised that we’ve only lost one game, and that was to Shiprock way at the beginning of the season,” James said. “(But) this team is a little different than what I’ve had in the past. They have a different frame of mind. For me that’s been the biggest eye opener.

“In the past I’ve always had a group of girls that kind of had doubts,” she added. “You know, they would second-guess themselves, but this group doesn’t. They take it one game at a time. They go in there with confidence, and they play hard each time.”

The Cougars are led by Wilson, who averages 13.6 points per game. Hudson comes in next at 12.1 ppg and Bedonie is putting in 8.0 per clip.

“I have four seniors that returned from last season and as a collaborative group they have been moving the rest of the team along,” James said. “They have the confidence, and they have the experience. They just help the other girls on the court all the time. It’s been fun to watch them do that.”

That collaboration was in full display during the recent Striking Eagle Native American Invitational when Monument Valley defeated New Mexico Class 3A powerhouse Santa Fe Indian School in a 51-39 triumph on Dec. 30.

“That was a huge confidence booster for my team,” James said. “We looked at their score from the previous game and Santa Fe Indian gave up only 15 points. The girls asked me, What’s the game plan?, and the plan was to score at least 20 points.

“We got that at the half, so I told them let’s get 20 more,” she added. “The bottom line is we had to score more baskets than them.”

The Cougars carried that momentum into the new year when they traveled over 500 miles roundtrip last week to play 1A Wendover, Utah and 2A Ogden, Utah’s St. Joseph.

The James-coached team beat previous No. 1 Wendover 63-48 and St. Joseph 67-30.

“We played Wendover because they have been ranked No. 1 or 2 all year,” James said. “We wanted to see how we do, and the girls won that game fairly easily.”

As for its status as the No. 1 team in Utah’s 1A division, James downplayed that distinction. Instead, she wants her team to continue to improve and gain confidence.

“For our girls to be ranked No. 1 is nice because the girls have really worked hard,” she said. “But my girls don’t focus too much on the rankings. They’re focused on each game, taking it one game at a time.”

On Saturday, MV will host Pinnacle High for its first 1A Region 19 game. The rest of the four-team league includes Monticello and Whitehorse.

“In our region, Whitehorse is going to be our biggest contender,” James said. “It used to be Green River, but they don’t have a team this year. Whitehorse have made a lot of improvements and they’re coming along.

“They’re doing some good things,” she added. “You know, we just have to stay focused on what we need to do and hopefully we can give them a good game.”

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