Chinle Wildcats rally past Page for 3A North tournament title

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

FORT DEFIANCE — The Chinle Wildcats pulled off an upset in the 3A North Regional Boys Basketball Tournament at the Bee Hółdzil Fighting Scouts Events Center, rallying in the fourth quarter for a 41-35 victory over the Page Sand Devils.

Behind a 16-point final frame, the Wildcats (21-9) overturned a late deficit to claim the tournament crown, while Page (21-7) saw its undefeated 3A North run come to an end.

Page had dominated the 3A North regular season, sweeping through the competition with a perfect 10-0 record with an average margin of victory of 65.4 to 42.8.

Led by senior center Tyree Stingley (19.8 points per game) and senior guard Joseph Benally (17 ppg), the Sand Devils had been the team to beat all season. But Chinle, paced by junior guard Ranen Parker’s 14 points and four rebounds, along with junior forward Jaiden Lee’s 11 points and three steals, had other plans.

The game opened with Stingley knocking down a 3-pointer to give Page an early edge, but Chinle responded with back-to-back triples from Parker and Lee, jumping ahead 6-3. From there, both teams struggled to find their rhythm, going ice-cold from the field.

Stingley was the lone scorer for Page in the quarter, finishing with five points as the Sand Devils shot just 2-for-13, including 1-for-8 from beyond the arc. Chinle didn’t fare much better, hitting just 2 of 8 from the floor but made both their three-point attempts to take a 7-5 lead after one.

Page found its footing in the second quarter, executing more effectively on offense. Benally led the charge with nine points, while senior forward Talon Herder added three. The Sand Devils shot 5-for-11 in the period and inched ahead. Chinle kept pace, with senior forward Royston Tom adding five points and Lee going a perfect 2-for-2 for four points. The Wildcats shot 5-for-11 in the quarter but trailed 19-18 heading into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Page looked to build on its slim lead. The Sand Devils outscored Chinle 10-7 in the third quarter, and with two minutes left, they had pushed their advantage to 29-21. However, Chinle managed to close the gap slightly before the buzzer, trimming the deficit to 29-25. Both teams continued to struggle from the field—Page shot 3-of-10 from deep and just 3-of-13 overall, while Chinle connected on 3-of-10 from the floor.

The final quarter belonged to the Wildcats. Page struck first with a 3-pointer to take a 32-25 lead, but that would be half of their points for the period. Over the next five minutes, the Sand Devils went ice-cold, missing six consecutive shots. Meanwhile, Chinle clawed its way back with an 8-0 run, fueled by 3-pointers from Kalem Denetsosie and Parker, taking a 33-32 lead.

With 2:30 remaining, Page finally ended its drought to tie the game at 33-33. The teams traded possessions until Chinle’s Aiden Kinlichee pulled down a crucial rebound and kicked the ball out to Parker, who drilled a deep 3-pointer to put the Wildcats up 36-33 with 1:34 left.

Page had a chance to respond, but Stingley, who had been a force all season, couldn’t connect from beyond the arc, finishing the quarter 0-for-6 from deep. On the next possession, Lee received a pass from Denetsosie and attacked the lane, sinking a contested jumper to extend the lead to 38-33 as the clock ticked under a minute.

With Page forced to foul, Chinle played keep-away, drawing time off the clock before Parker and Tom added three points from the free-throw line. Herder fouled out with under 20 seconds left, and though Stingley finally scored with 12 seconds remaining, it was too little, too late. Benally, who had been a key playmaker all season, went scoreless in the fourth, missing all three of his 3-point attempts as Chinle celebrated the victory.

Page struggled offensively throughout the game, shooting just 24.4% (12-for-49) from the field and 22.5% (7-for-31) from 3-point range. Stingley led with 16 points and four rebounds, while Benally added 14. Chinle, on the other hand, shot 37.5% (15-for-40), including a sharp 6-for-18 (33.3%) from beyond the arc.

Chinle head coach CJ Woods credited the Wildcats’ preparation for their ability to shut down Page’s offense in the final quarter.

“We knew they were going to shoot the ball a lot,” Woods said. “We knew we had to bump the cutter, and we knew they were going to put the ball in Joey and Tyree’s hands, so we had to find the tendency. I think they had a game where they missed a lot of shots, but you gotta give them credit—they’re great players. But we did scout for this, we did prepare for this, and the boys executed.”

Woods also broke down Page’s late-game reliance on 3-pointers, which ultimately played into Chinle’s defensive game plan.

“Exactly what we wanted,” Woods said. “We knew they were going to shoot the 3, so our mindset was find the body, box out, chest on the shooting hand, and rotate if we ever got lost. I thought we did an excellent job executing that defensively.”

With the win, Chinle advances to the Arizona Interscholastic Association 3A State Championship pool play, where they will take on Alchesay (20-10) today in Whiteriver, Ariz.

Page will also be in action today. The Sand Devils is playing in the newly established AIA Cooper Bracket as the 12th seed where they will play at No. 5 Yuma Catholic (22-2), the 3A West champions.

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