Tuba City defeats Snowflake 59-54 for Copper state title

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

PHOENIX — Tuba City ended Snowflake’s 27-game winning streak Saturday night, defeating the Lady Lobos 59-54 to capture the 2026 AIA Girls Copper Division State Championship at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Special to the Times | Truman Begaye
Layla Curtis raises a piece of the net while holding the Copper Division State Championship MVP trophy after leading Tuba City to the 2026 AIA Girls Copper Division title, capping her freshman season with top honors at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

Layla Curtis, the 3A Player of the Year and Copper Bracket MVP, scored 16 points to lead the Lady Warriors (28-3). Nakota Tallman added 14 points and Aubrey Begaye finished with 10 as Tuba City forced 16 turnovers and converted them into 21 points.

Snowflake (30-2) was led by Bryn Kupfer with 20 points, while Ryah Denhalter scored 13 and Ranell West had 11.

Trailing 51-48 late in the fourth quarter, Tuba City answered with a three-point play by Curtis, who was fouled while making a layup. Tallman then gave the Warriors the lead for good as free throws down the stretch secured the win. Raquel Lee capped the comeback with a layup as time expired to seal the five-point victory.

Special to the Times | Truman Begaye
The Tuba City Lady Warriors lift the championship trophy after defeating Snowflake 59-54 to win the 2026 AIA Girls Copper Division State Championship on Saturday at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

Snowflake’s only previous close game this season was a one-point win over Tuba City earlier in the year. This time, the Lady Warriors finished the job.

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