Up for grabs: To’hajiilee girls throws wrench into district race with 50-35 win over Pine Hill

TOHAJIILEE, N.M. – The girls basketball standings in District 1-1A took a significant turn on Saturday afternoon.

Three teams now have a chance of winning the regular season crown thanks to To’hajiilee’s 50-35 win over Pine Hill before a capacity crowd at To’hajiilee High School.

“It’s a rivalry game and it’s a huge ‘W’ for us because we’ve had a rough season,” To’hajiilee sophomore post Victoria Apachito said. “As a team, we really came together, and we were all about business today.”

The 15-point To’hajiilee win puts a wrinkle in the league standings as Pine Hill, Tsé Yi’ Gai and To’hajiilee all have one loss in district play. Earlier last week, Tsé Yi’ Gai defeated To’hajiilee, 50-47.

“I told them that this was going to be battle and we had to protect our house,” said second-year To’hajiilee coach Visaria Apachito, whose team improved to 7-10 overall and 2-1 in district play. “I would rather have lost by 20 when we played Tsé Yi’ Gai and we ended up losing by (three). I mean, we were up, and I think that it made them work harder for (Saturday’s game).

“You know, we’ve been in a slump,” the To’hajiilee coach added. “I don’t know how we ended up in a funk, but they were able to pull themselves together.”

Freshman guard Khloe Spencer led To’hajiilee with 22 points while Apachito added 14. The hometown Warriors also received a dozen points from freshman Tatum Wilson.

The To’hajiilee coach said the win on Saturday was needed as it kept their playoff hopes alive.

“I think this will boost their spirits and morale,” Apachito said. “Now they know that we’re right there, so I believe they needed this win. I do see them heading to the playoffs. They’re capable of doing it.”

After leading 18-15 at the break, the hometown Warriors outscored Pine Hill 32 to 20 in the second half with To’hajiilee dominating the boards. To’hajiilee had a 37 to 24 edge in rebounds, which included 18 offensive boards.

“We did a good job of boxing out,” Visaria Apachito said. “You know, we played some tough teams at the beginning of the season. We played Grady, Carrizozo and Legacy Academy and they roughed us up.

“They weren’t expecting that type of contact, the physicality of how they were playing basketball,” the To’hajiilee coach said. “They were shying away from it, so we told they had to step it up because there is not hanging back.”

Pine Hill coach Patricia Chavez credited To’hajiilee for playing aggressive, but she cited some discrepancies displayed be her team.

“We had a chance to come back but we made some unforced errors,” Chavez said. “We just didn’t get our shooters going. Overall, we had a poor shooting night, and we missed 14 free throws, and it doesn’t help when you’re battling.”

The Pine Hill coach also noted To’hajiilee’s effort to box out and rebound. Defensively, she said To’hajiilee played solid defense.

“At times, however, we did not play to the standards of Lady Warrior basket,” Chavez said. “It’s not practical, it’s more of a mental aspect of getting in the right mindset and, bottom line, trusting one another.

“They towered our rebounders, so we couldn’t get out on a fast break,” she added. “But we had many opportunities. We just didn’t capitalize. They punched us in the mouth, and we didn’t punch them back.”

Pine Hill was led by senior post Leilani Charley as she finished with nine points and six boards. Senior Layla Johnson added seven points while senior Rihanna Pino chipped in six.

As for the district crown, Chavez said it’s up for grabs as the regular season champion will earn an automatic berth to the Class 1A playoff.

“Nobody’s one is out of it,” she said. “It’s a three-way tie now. I’m proud of my girls for fighting. They didn’t give up. I think they understand that playing here is not easy.

“Maybe they had a chip on their shoulder for us beating them there last year in the district tournament,” he added. “They were ready, and they were well prepared.”

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