Gallup ends Shiprock’s tournament run with late surge

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

GALLUP – The Gallup Bengals ended the Shiprock Chieftains’ tournament run with a decisive fourth-quarter performance, securing a 56-46 victory.

Shiprock, the last seed in the District 1-4A tournament, led for more than three quarters before top-seeded Gallup surged ahead in the final minutes. The Bengals outscored Shiprock 20-9 in the fourth quarter to punch their ticket to the championship game.

The Bengals will host No. 5 seed Aztec on Friday night with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. The Tigers upset No. 2 seed Bloomfield 66-59 on Wednesday night.

Gallup senior wing Jayson Bruner led the charge with 24 points, while junior wing Joshua Keeto added 10 in the victory. Shiprock’s senior guard Deon Harvey and sophomore center Blake Begay each contributed 12 points in the losing effort.

Gallup jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead, prompting Shiprock head coach Larenson Henderson to call a timeout to settle his team. The Bengals capitalized on their first two possessions, while Shiprock opened with two turnovers.

However, the Chieftains responded with a 7-2 run to take an 8-7 lead. Moments later, Bruer received a half-court pass and drove in for a layup, regaining the lead for Gallup at 9-8 with three minutes left in the quarter.

Shiprock adjusted defensively, dropping into a 2-3 zone that disrupted Gallup’s passing and denied them second-chance opportunities. The Chieftains closed out the quarter on a 6-0 run, taking a 14-9 lead into the second frame.

Sophomore forward Austin Keith led Shiprock with five points while Gallup had Bruer score five.

The Bengals pulled within 18-17 when Bruer grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback with 5:20 left. The Chieftains used another timeout to try to halt Gallup’s momentum.

Following the timeout, both teams traded bucket, maintaining a tight contest. The Bengals took a 25-24 halftime lead with Keeto draining a 3-pointer with 24 second left.

Bruer scored half of Gallup’s 16 second-quarter points, while Shiprock’s Joaquin Nez netted four.

The third quarter opened with a defensive battle, as both teams struggled to find the basket. Shiprock managed to score four points in the first three minutes, while Gallup’s junior wing Dedrick Brown finally broke through to cut the deficit to 28-27.

Shiprock pushed its lead to 33-27 with two minutes left, but Gallup fought back. Junior forward Kelton Edison sank a pair of free throws to bring the Bengals within one at 35-34. Both teams exchanged baskets and turnovers before Shiprock held a narrow 37-36 lead heading into the final quarter.

Keith led the Chieftains in the third quarter with five points, while Harvey added four. For Gallup, Bruer contributed five points, and Edison added four.

The decisive fourth quarter began with coach Henderson receiving a technical foul with 7:40 left in the game. Despite spending much of the evening voicing his concerns to the official, which earned him an early warning, the Shiprock coach was seated for the remainder of the contest.

Gallup reclaimed the lead at 38-37 when sophomore guard Crevin Watson drove in for a layup after two scoreless minutes from both teams. On the next possession, Shiprock’s Harvey attempted a 3-pointer but was called for flopping, a controversial call that would prove critical down the stretch.

With 2:37 remaining and the score tied at 42-42, Keeto went to the free throw line, making one of two attempts.

However, Bruer secured the rebound and banked in a shot to extend Gallup’s lead to 45-42. On the next play, Harvey drove for a layup but was again called for flopping after contact, resulting in a technical foul. Keeto sank both free throws, pushing the Bengals’ advantage to 47-42 with 2:23 left.

With Gallup maintaining possession after the technical, the Bengals ran the clock before Shiprock fouled Keeto, who converted two more free throws, effectively sealing the game.

A turnover by Shiprock allowed the Bengals to push its lead to 51-42 following a fast break layup by Brown with 1:30 to go.

The Bengals then capitalized on some missed shots from Shiprock, adding four more points in transition to stretch their lead to 55-44 with 22 seconds left.

Bruer led Gallup’s fourth-quarter surge with six points, while Keeto added five, going 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. For Shiprock, sophomore guard Kaden Lapahie scored four points, and Harvey added three.

Gallup head coach Ryan Becenti commended Shiprock for giving them a tough game.

“It was a high-intensity district game,” Becenti said. “Our district has been tough as of late, and Shiprock came in riding the high of an upset win over Miyamura. They were playing well, and they played tough tonight, so it was a hard-fought game.”

Becenti praised his team for executing late in the contest when the Bengals capped the last 2.5 minutes on a 14-4 run.

“We just tried to rely on our defense,” he said. “We wanted to work our offense more and let our defense lead into our offense. Toward the end, we started doing that, and thankfully, we got some easy buckets and breakaway layups that helped us pull ahead.”

Looking ahead to the district championship on Friday with Aztec, Becenti is expecting another tough game.

“We just played them last Friday,” Becenti said. “They’re playing really well, they’re well-coached, and they have two studs on their team, so we have to prepare for that. We need a good practice tomorrow and be ready to bring it on Friday.”

Shiprock’s Henderson lamented on the missed opportunities they had as the Chieftains had a few close range baskets miss its mark.

“We made our own mistakes, too, and I think that cost us a lot,” Henderson said. “There were a lot of layups we should’ve made, and that’s something I told the guys—we practice those things.”

With a young team, Henderson is looking forward to next season as the Chieftains ended its season at 4-24 overall.

“I got to work with them a lot this year,” he said. “Some of them (will) come back as juniors next year. I’m excited for that.

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