Tuba City punches ticket to Copper State Finals, sets rematch with Snowflake

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

WINSLOW, Ariz. — Tuba City punched their ticket to the 2026 AIA Girls Copper State Championship Finals in convincing fashion Saturday evening, defeating fourth-seeded Pima 73-51 at Don Petranovich Gymnasium to set up a rematch with Snowflake on Feb. 28.

Earlier in the day, Snowflake secured its spot in the finals with a 54-41 win over Valley Christian. Both semifinal games were hosted at Winslow High School.

Tuba City (27-3) raced past Pima behind a dominant team effort led by freshman Layla Curtis and senior Aubrey Begaye. Curtis poured in 28 points, while Begaye scored 14 in the first half alone and finished with 17 before exiting late in the fourth quarter due to an injury. Senior Raquel Lee added 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers.

The Lady Warriors came out of introductions attacking the basket relentlessly. Within the first two minutes, they were already in the bonus, scoring six points from the free throw line. After a basket by Lee to make it 8-0, Pima called timeout. Tuba City pushed the lead to 11-0 before the Roughriders finally scored more than three minutes into the game. The Lady Warriors closed the first quarter with a 21-7 lead. Begaye had six points in the frame and senior Thaila Clitso added five. Tuba City was aggressive at the stripe early, converting 9 of 11 free throws in the opening quarter.

“The plan was to go and drive in,” Tuba City head coach Peterson Butler said. “I always emphasize, ‘Go to the basket, go to the basket.’ And that’s what we did. I looked at film and I knew we could drive on them and penetrate. They’re quick, but we’ve got talented ballhandlers who can get to the rim.”

Pima showed life in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 10 points after Tuba City built a 25-7 lead. The Roughriders went on an 8-0 run to make it 25-15 before Begaye answered with a strong drive to the basket. Tuba City regained control and outscored Pima 10-5 down the stretch to take a 37-20 lead into halftime. Begaye scored eight in the quarter, while Pima senior Macy Allred matched her with eight for the Roughriders.

The third quarter became a back-and-forth exchange, with both teams scoring 17 points. Pima opened with a pair of 3-pointers, but each time Curtis answered. She knocked down three triples in the quarter and scored 13 points in the period alone, helping the Lady Warriors stretch the lead to 54-37. Freshman Taylor Ashley led Pima with 10 points in the quarter.

The Roughriders made one last push early in the fourth, scoring five quick points to cut the deficit to 54-42. Butler immediately called timeout.

“I called that timeout and reassured the team that we got to this point, we can’t let it go,” Butler said. “We weren’t doing what we were doing early in the game. We had to go back to what worked. The girls reset and refocused.”

Lee responded with a 3-pointer, and Begaye completed a three-point play to push the lead to 60-42. On the next possession, Begaye drove into the paint and collided with two Pima defenders, going down with an injury. During the stoppage, Pima head coach Roy Corona protested the call and was assessed a technical foul. Tuba City converted 3-of-4 free throws following the technical to extend the lead to 63-42.

The Lady Warriors maintained a 20-point cushion for most of the final quarter. Curtis scored seven in the frame, junior Makayeli Tsinnie went 4-for-4 from the line, and Lee and Begaye added three points apiece to secure the 73-51 victory.

Snowflake (30-1), the tournament’s top seed, advanced earlier with a 54-41 win over Valley Christian. Ranell West led the Lady Lobos with 12 points, while Josie Clare added 10 in a balanced effort that saw eight Snowflake players score. Valley Christian had two players in double figures, led by junior Abby Grier with 12 and senior Ellie Phillips with 11.

Tuba City and Snowflake met earlier this season, with the Lobos escaping with a 61-60 win on Dec. 16.

“It’s gonna be a tough match-up,” Butler said of the finals. “It’s gonna be hard, but it’s a 50/50 thing. We lost by one to them already. It’s our turn to get that one back.”

Curtis said the semifinal tested the team’s mentality, especially against Pima’s size.

“We’ve played some really tall players,” Curtis said. “Against St. John’s, we played a girl that’s like 6’5”. Our team has no focus on height. They don’t care. They play aggressive.”

She also pointed to the team’s depth.

“I really like this team,” she said. “When one of us has an off game, another one steps up. In this example, it was Aubrey. When she was going off, you just keep feeding her. After she went out, the girls knew what to do. Raquel started hitting floaters. These girls know how to handle the game.”

Looking ahead to Snowflake, Curtis emphasized urgency.

“Just play more aggressive. The first game we had a really slow start. We were down 26 and came back by 26 and only lost by one. We just gotta play aggressive and start faster.”

The championship matchup between Tuba City and Snowflake — widely regarded as the two best teams in the 3A this season — will be played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. If the semifinal atmosphere in Winslow was any indication, the support will travel. More than 3,000 fans filled Don Petranovich Gymnasium on Saturday, with Tuba City supporters making up the overwhelming majority.

And when it comes to state championship basketball in Arizona, the Navajo Nation will show up in masses to show their support.

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