Window Rock avoids trap game in decisive win over Pinon
Navajo Times | Ravonelle Yazzie Window Rock Scout Koeby Emerson (21) sets up to shoot the basketball against Pinon on Monday night.
Navajo Times | Ravonelle Yazzie
Window Rock Scout Koeby Emerson (21) sets up to shoot the basketball against Pinon on Monday night.
PINON, Ariz.
To a certain extent, Monday’s makeup game with Pinon served as a de facto trap game for the Window Rock boys’ basketball team.
The Scouts played six games at last week’s three-day tournament in Blue Ridge, so entering Monday’s contest Window Rock head coach Raul Mendoza had some concerns.
Needless to say, his concerns were eased thanks to the Scouts’ relentless defense. Window Rock took down a scrappy Pinon team that is notorious for shooting lights out from downtown.
The visiting team allowed just five points to the Eagles in the second quarter to gain a 43-23 cushion at the break en route to a 72-53 win.
“We’re tired but the key was our defense,” Mendoza said. “Once they pass half court, Pinon can shoot the ball. The kids did not believe me in that first quarter, and once we made the adjustments we did not give them the shots they wanted.”
Moreover, Mendoza said his team exhibited a lot of patience on the offensive end as the Scouts spread the ball out nicely for open shots. The Window Rock coach also praised his bench for contributing to the cause.
Window Rock senior Myron Wauneka was one of those bench players that made an impact as he finished with 11 points.
“We played great tonight,” Wauneka said. “Everyone stepped up their game and we just knocked down our shots.”
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Highway 264,
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