Navajo Prep leans on playoff experience to oust Crownpoint

RIO RANCHO, N.M. – Navajo Prep, the reigning 3A girls state champ, showed its championship pedigree against district rival Crownpoint on Tuesday afternoon.

The top-seeded Lady Eagles started strong and withstood several Crownpoint challenges as Navajo Prep advanced into Thursday’s semifinal game with a 45-26 win inside the Rio Rancho Events Center.

“I think that is what kind of separated us for today’s game,” longtime Navajo Prep coach Rainy Crisp said about their postseason experience. “With these girls, they know what it’s going to take to where we want to go, which is the state championship game.

“They know that the little things matter, and coming from last year, their experience helps because the leadership is there,” she added. “We’re holding them accountable and we’re holding the team accountable and that’s what it’s going to take to for us to get back to the championship game.”

With the win, Navajo Prep will play No. 4 seed Las Vegas Robertson at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday at the Rio Rancho arena. Robertson stunned fifth seed Tohatchi in the late game on Tuesday night as the Lady Cardinals battled back from an eight-point deficit with exactly a minute left and scored a 43-41 come-from-behind win.

In its quarterfinal game, the Crisp-coached team jumped out to an early 10-2 lead, as they started the contest with a pair of 3s from seniors Shiloh Conn and Lailah McGary.

Crownpoint closed within six (10-4) on a contested basket by sophomore Miley McMillian, but Navajo Prep pushed its lead to 15-4 after McGary nailed another trey with just under a minute left in the opening quarter.

The ninth-seeded Crownpoint team capped the opening quarter with junior forward Courtney Craig splitting a pair at the free throw line as the lower seeded Eagles had a rough time generating any offensive flow due to Navajo Prep’s stifling defense.

“It’s all about being disciplined,” Conn said. “Coach tells that we have to stay on our feet and move our feet. We just read where they’re going and it leads to steals.”

“Pigging back on what she said, we’re really disciplined with our defense,” McGary added. “Size and speed doesn’t matter. It’s all about us focusing on control and doing what we do.”

In that opening quarter, Navajo Prep’s towering guards turned over Crownpoint 13 times, which included eight steals.

“We’re a young team, and I think that played a big part,” Crownpoint coach Byron Murphy said. “The nerves got to us and that’s the reason why we had a slow start, but Prep played a really well tonight. They were very aggressive, very physical and we just couldn’t get that ball in the hole.”

Despite trailing by double digits, Crownpoint leaned on Craig as she scored on a pair of putbacks. Craig’s third basket of the half got her team within 15-11 midway through the second.

Craig, who is one of the tallest members on her team, finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and pulling down 13 boards. The Crownpoint junior acknowledged that she had to work for her points.

“I really wanted us to get this win tonight,” said Craig, who is one of the tallest member on the Crownpoint squad. “I just tried my best at boxing out, so I can get a better shot underneath.”

That four-point deficit was as close as they would get as Navajo Prep went on a 7-2 run to open up a 22-13 halftime cushion. That momentum carried over after the break as Navajo Prep scored the first nine points for a 32-13 following an old-fashioned 3-point play by junior guard Kameron Dale with 4:54 left in the third.

“It’s all about being able to come out strong. especially when the game starts,” Conn said. “Even after halftime, you kind of get settled down in the locker room, and being able to come out and have that mentality to run and push the ball.”

Crownpoint made one final push as they closed out the quarter on an 8-1 run with Craig scoring six of those points and trailed 33-21 heading into the fourth.

But it was business as usual on the defensive end, as Navajo Prep opened up a 39-23 cushion with 4:13 left on a transition layup by Dale, who tied McGary with a team-best 12 points.

“I think the jitters we had in the first quarter gave them that lead,” Crownpoint senior guard Arabella Balicat said. “I’m glad that we were able to keep it close until the end, but they have a height difference with our guards. They’re bigger, stronger and we had to fight if we wanted to get this game.”

Crownpoint freshman guard Holly Jiron shared the same sentiment, while noting that Prep’s size made it difficult for them to advance the ball.

“It was hard for us to see where people were at because they were all over us,” Jiron said. “And when they collapsed on, we really don’t know how to get out of it. With them having the height difference was a big challenge for us.”

---