Unbeaten Tohatchi captures Rehoboth tourney over host Lynx

By Truman Begaye
Special to the Times

REHOBOTH, N.M. — The Tohatchi Cougars kept their perfect record intact Saturday night, securing a hard-fought 56-53 victory over the Rehoboth Christian Lynx in Saturday’s tournament finale at Rehoboth.

Senior forward Adriano Begay, who was named the tournament MVP, and junior forward Myka Candelaria combined for 30 points, leading the Cougars to their fifth consecutive win.

The game culminated in dramatic fashion, with Tohatchi building a 13-point lead late in the fourth quarter, only for Rehoboth to claw back into contention. A controversial technical foul on Lynx head coach Kevin Zwiers in the final seconds sealed the outcome in favor of the Cougars.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle, ending in a 16-16 tie. Tohatchi senior guard Josh Dawes sparked the Cougars early, hitting a three-pointer just 20 seconds into the game. He added a layup off a steal to give Tohatchi a quick 5-0 lead.

However, Dawes’ momentum was dampened by foul trouble, as he accumulated three fouls before the quarter ended.

Rehoboth junior guard Trajen West led his team with seven first-quarter points, including two perfect trips to the free-throw line. Kodah Chapman contributed four points as the Lynx collectively shot 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Candelaria kept the Cougars in the game, scoring six points in the opening frame.

The second quarter saw Dawes pick up his fourth foul at the 3:16 mark, forcing him to the bench. Despite the setback, Tohatchi head coach Kendall Livingston expressed confidence in his reserves.

“All week long, we’ve been emphasizing bench play in practice, and tonight they really stepped up,” Livingston said. “It was great to see.”

Candelaria and Begay led the Cougars with four points each in the quarter, as Tohatchi tallied 14 points as a team. For Rehoboth, senior Kristian Touchine scored eight of the Lynx’s 11 points, helping his team stay within striking distance as Rehoboth trailed 30-27 at the break.

Begay and Candelaria continued to dominate in the third quarter, combining for 10 of Tohatchi’s 15 points. Rehoboth struggled to keep pace, scoring just 10 points in the period. The Lynx relied on contributions from Matthew Olguin and Michael Murrow, who each scored three points. As the quarter ended, Tohatchi held a slim 45-37 advantage.

Tohatchi appeared to be in full control midway through the fourth quarter, building a 50-37 lead with 5:19 left. But the Lynx responded with an impressive 12-2 run, cutting the deficit to 52-49 with just over two minutes remaining.

Rehoboth’s rally was fueled by their defense and timely rebounding, which head coach Kevin Zwiers highlighted.

“We talked about playing together, playing defense, and grabbing rebounds,” Zwiers said. “That stretch showed what we’re capable of.”

With the Lynx closing in, Tohatchi called a timeout to regroup. Dawes re-entered the game and made key contributions in the final minutes, despite missing two free throws with 33.9 seconds left.

Rehoboth regained possession but turned the ball over on a miscommunication mishap as Zwiers tried to use a timeout. His request, however, went unnoticed by the officials as he was assessed a technical foul for arguing his case.

Dawes sank one of two free throws to extend the Cougars’ lead to 53-51. Moments later, he added two more from the line to make it 55-51. Rehoboth’s final possession ended in another turnover, allowing Tohatchi to hold on for the win.

Zwiers acknowledged his technical foul as a turning point in the game.

“I thought I called a timeout, but it wasn’t acknowledged,” Zwiers said. “I got too animated, and that’s on me. I don’t know if it cost us the game, but it won’t happen again.”

Livingston praised his team’s resilience, particularly under pressure in the final minutes.

“This was a total team effort,” Livingston said. “Our guys showed a lot of heart tonight, and that’s what it takes to win close games.”

On Wednesday, Tohatchi (5-0) faced Bloomfield (1-1) but the results for that game were not available as the paper went to press.

Rehoboth (2-2) travels to Crownpoint (1-3) for a nondistrict game on Thursday while Tohatchi (5-0) will host Cuba on Friday night.

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