Wildcats pulls through 3A North Regional Championship game over Tuba City, 58-48

Posted by Navajo Times | Feb 12, 2026 | Basketball |

By Truman Begaye
Special to the Times

CHINLE – Regular season champs Chinle completed the sweep as the Wildcats captured the 3A North Regional Boys Championship on Saturday afternoon with a 58-48 win over No. 2 seed Tuba City at the Wildcat Den in Chinle.

“We had to adjust when they put that pressure on us,” Chinle head coach CJ Woods said. “We haven’t been hitting our 3s well, so we adjusted our spacing and pushed the ball inside a little bit. We capped a zone trap in the second half, and I thought it paid off. Really, our boys executed very well.”

Junior Kollin Laughing led Chinle with 17 points while sophomore Bradley McCurtain added 14. Tuba City was paced by senior Anthony Bennett and junior Marai Bilagody with eight points each. Seniors Koyan Saufkie, Chase Tallman and Kollin Posey followed with seven apiece, and junior Milkai Lee scored six on two 3-pointers.

The first quarter set the tone defensively. The teams were tied 9-9 with 1:33 remaining before Chinle closed on a quick 6-0 run to take a 13-9 lead. McCurtain scored four points in the stretch and Ranen Parker added a 3-pointer. Posey accounted for Tuba City’s lone field goal during the late minutes.

The Warriors answered in the second quarter, outscoring Chinle 16-10. They pulled within one at 16-15 midway through the period and eventually took a 25-23 halftime lead when Saufkie hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining. Saufkie scored five in the quarter while Posey added four and Lee knocked down a 3. Jaiden Lee and Kaleb Guy led Chinle with three points each in the period.

Chinle then seized control in the third quarter.

After Tuba City briefly held a 27-26 advantage, McCurtain’s layup sparked a decisive run. The Wildcats outscored the Warriors 20-7 in the period, closing on a 6-0 burst to take a 43-32 lead into the fourth. McCurtain scored 10 points in the quarter while Laughing and Draven Yazzie combined for eight.

The Warriors never fully recovered. Both teams went nearly five minutes without a basket early in the fourth before Parker’s 3-pointer extended the lead to double digits. Tuba City cut the deficit to seven at 48-41, but Chinle responded and maintained a 10-point cushion the rest of the way. Laughing scored nine in the final quarter to secure the win.

Afterward, Woods earned the region’s coach of the year honors.

“That’s the coaching staff,” Woods said. “They bring a whole different perspective to the game. That’s coaching staff of the year for sure.”

Chinle (23-5) advances to the 2026 Copper Bracket and will travel to Phoenix to face the Benjamin Franklin Chargers (25-4) on Wednesday.

Get instant access to this story by purchasing one of our many e-edition subscriptions HERE at our Navajo Times Store.