Ganado boys, girls romp over Show Low

Had the Show Low Cougars just covered the Ganado Hornets' outside shooters, they might have had a chance.

"We left too much room for the outside shooters," said Show Low  head coach Will Poulson. "You just can't give them the room to shoot like we did. They made us pay."

The Hornets worked backdoor plays all Tuesday night at the Ganado Pavilion to ensure open shots for teammates and eventual leading scorers junior Sherwin Nez, sophomore Marcus Begay and senior Kameron Bluehouse.

The trio carried the Hornets to a 20-point win over the Cougars with a final score of 68-48.

The Cougars opened the first quarter with five points and kept the Hornets scoreless but it would be their only lead of the night.

The Hornets fought back putting 10 points on the board within three minutes and ending the quarter on top, 12-6.

Tough rebounding and tight defense throughout the second quarter gave the Hornets to a 12-point lead, 32-20, by the end of the first half.

The Hornets only increased their lead as the game continued.

In the second half, five of the Hornets' nine total three-pointers pushed them over the top.

Nez led the Hornets with 23 points - four of which were three-pointers - followed by Begay with 14 points and Bluehouse with 13 points - four of which were three-pointers.

"We played a hard game with tremendous defense," Bluehouse said. "We had patience and played our hardest no matter what."

Hornets' head coach Matt Komalty remained cautious throughout the game despite the lead.

"I always have doubts," he said. "Until I hear the final buzzer I don't care how much of a lead we have.

"Everybody had to be in the right place," Komalty added. "We had the offense to attack their defense. We got a little sloppy but were able to regain our composure."

Tuesday's game was the Hornets' first game in a month, Komalty said, so rusty ball-playing was expected.

"We are so young that we can improve a whole bunch," he said.

The Hornets now have an overall record of 4-6.

Girls

The defending state runners-up Ganado Lady Hornets may probably never see their score reach 100 again, but for now they can enjoy the milestone.

With just three seconds left on the clock during a Tuesday night match-up against the visiting Cougars from Show Low, the Hornets rushed to make one last basket.

Lady Hornet Cory Slim, a junior and the leading scorer of the night with 23 points, went for an easy layup to end the game with Ganado victorious, 100-24.

"I was trying to prevent that," said Pete Butler, second-year head coach for the Hornets. "I didn't want to run it up out of respect for the coach and (opposing) team.

"I couldn't stop them," Butler said. "They wanted it and I couldn't hold them back."

From the first jump of the ball, the Hornets were patient offensively, making passes only outside the three-point line and working to score inside.

The Hornets took advantage of sloppy passes and poor shooting and gained most of their points on turnovers committed by the Cougars.

The first half ended in favor the Hornets, 47-14.

Show Low's head coach said the players' frustration and lack of readiness cost them the game.

"They were already frustrated by halftime," Buffy Murinko said of the Lady Cougars. "Once they get in that state of getting down on themselves, it's hard for them to pull themselves back out. They thought they were ready."

Murinko said Tuesday night was the worst game the Cougars had played all season.

In a second half, the Hornets came out strong again playing off the mistakes of the Cougars and extending their lead to 50 points by the end of the third quarter.

"We don't have the height on the team," Butler said, adding that the tallest player reaches about 5-foot-9. "We are quick though. We are using that quickness to get the ball down for fast-breaks."

The Hornets bring back five from last year's varsity lineup, including Ronda Curtis, the last member of Ganado's first-ever state championship team.

"She has a lot of shoes to fill," Butler said of Curtis, a senior who plays center. "She's not used to getting physical but she is using the moves she learned in practice."

The Hornets also welcome sisters in the starting lineup - sophomore Jasmine and senior Ganassis Taliman.

"They complement each other really well," Butler said of his guards. "Jasmine has good court sense and Ganassis is a quiet leader."

The Taliman sisters both netted 22 points.

Though the Hornets are in last place in the 3A North Region, Butler said with his three key players the Lady Hornets could finish in the top four by season's end.

The Hornets' current record is 10-5.

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