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THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2011
PAGE B-1
NAVAJO TIMES
N.M. oirls Class 2A state tournament
Navajo Pine '.believes' to win 1st state title
Navajo Pine's Demetria Clichee (23) maneuvers to the basket against Texico's Jaylyn Cooper (40) March 11 at the UNM Pit in Albuquerque.
Navajo Pine won the Class 2A state championship, 45-41. (Special to the Times - Donovan Quintero)
Mariano said. "I think if we were
a little more conditioned last year
we could have won, so coming in
as a new coach the girls did a lot
of running."
But for the first five minutes,
it appeared Texico was about to
do the same as they raced out to
an 11-2 lead behind six points
from 6-2 sophomore post Shaylee
Anderson; who led all scorers with
17 points.
But after getting over the initial
"wow" moment, the Warriors
responded in a big way with a 20-4
run. Sophomore guard Demetria
Clichee got a rare stick back and
Cinandre Dolfin followed with a
trey to cut the deficit down to 11-7
heading into the second.
"We couldn't give up that etrty
in the game so we had to believe
in ourselves," Dolfin said. "Believe
was our main factor in our victory
today."
In the second quarter, Kyleigh
Thompson then took over the
offense as the junior sharpshooter
nailed back-to-back treys to tie the
contest at 13 - all with six minutes
to go until the half.
Thompson later added another
dbuce as Navajo Pine took the
lead for good at 15-13 before
they settled for a 22-17 halftime
cushion:
"We were down nine points and
Kyleigh hit two three-pointers and
that brought us back," Mariano
said. "After that we had the
confidence and that's when we
said we could do it."
While Navajo Pine seemed to
thrive on the offensive end, it
Was their defefise that picked up
in the last 10 minutes of the half.
Texico, who came in as the heavily
favorites with seven state crowns,
BY QUENTIN JODIE
NAVAJO TIMES
ALBUQUERQUE - It has been a
season of firsts for the Navajo Pine
girls' basketball team.
It all started with first-year coach
Aretha Mariano using the same
philosophy her predecessor Derrith
Watchman-Moore used during her
one-year stay two seasons ago.
In truth, both coaches saw
potential in their teams, but what
the team lacked was a good work
ethic.
"When we first got here there
was no structure and the girls felt
that they didn't need to practice,"
Mariano once said.
But that all changed with a
little discipline as Navajo Pine
made a run in last year's Class
2A state playoffs and reached
the tournament finals with three
seniors.
So with a majority" of the
players back, the Warriors did the
unthinkable and unseated the top-
ranked Texico Lady Wolverines 45-
41 in the March 11 championship
game at The Pit before a sold-out
crowd that was blanketed with fans
waiting for the Gallup and Kirtland
Central match-up.
"It means a lot to our small
community," Mariano said of
Navajo Pine's first girls state
basketball title. "We were here last
year. This was our goal, but we just
kept quiet about it. We had it in the
back of our minds. This was our
dream. We've done something that
nobody's done before,"
The game was a rematch of last
year's finals where the Wolverines
ran away with a decisive 55-40
win. And just like last year, the
Warriors were giving up a lot of
size, but in the postgame interview
Mariano was quick to point out the
difference.
"I believe this year the girls were
more conditioned than last year,"
coughed up 14 of their 20 turnovers
in the first half.
"You have to give Navajo Pine
a lot of credit," said Texico coach
Keith Durham. "They did an
excellent job of running their
offense and they took advantage
of every little mistake we made. It
seems they turned into two or three
points.
"They bothered us defensively
just like last year," he added.
"They're pesty, they're a bunch of
pests out there. When you don't
have the basketball up they don't
make it easy to make the next pass
or dribble or do whatever."
It was more of the same in
the third quarter as the Warriors
continued to bother Texico's tempo
as they held them to seven points
while Dolfin and Clichee combined
for 10 points for a 34-24 advantage
heading into the fourth quarter.
But at the start of the fourth the
Wolverines closed the gap to three
points, 34-31, on a 7-0 run with
6:32 left to play - Anderson scored
five of those points.
Soon after that, Navajo Pine
gained a 38-33 cushion as Clichee
put in four of her team-high 15
points.
After a timeout, Texico coach
Durham decided to put Navajo
Pine at the line and that almost
worked as the Warriors only made
3-of-7 free throws in the next four
minutes and the lead cut down to
43-41 after Jordyn Cooper, who
scored 15 total points, hit back-to-
back treys with 49 seconds left in
regulation.
In the waning moments, however,
Navajo Pine iced the game with
Dolfin and Chelsea Yazzie hitting
1-of-2 free throws down the stretch
for the 4-point win.
"We had the mentality of being
strong," Yazzie said while noting
that they had to grab every rebound
to even have a chance.
Young Ganado hopes to build tough team
BY CANDACE BEGODY
NAVAJO TIMES
GANADO, Ariz. - Brandon
Newcomb inherited a team that
hasn't seen a state tournament in a
long while.
In fact, the last time Ganado
brought home a state baseball title
was over 20 years ago. And as far
as anyone can remember, the team
hasn't been taken seriously since
the early 1990s.
Newcomb is aware of this and
though his goal is common to
every other team when it comes to
getting into the state playoffs, he's
decided that his inaugural year is
more about building a foundation
for what he hopes will soon be a
competitive baseball program.
"We want tO be competitive on
a daily basisi" said Newcomb,
who coached football at Alchesay
before taking on the football and
baseball coaching positions at
Ganado, "and set a foundation
for a lasting program - a strong
foundation for years to come."
Of course, Newcomb must
work with his current team and,
first things first, toughening up the
boys.
"I hope we can become a scrappy,
tough team," Newcomb said, "to
where we can compete and play
extremely hard for seven innings
every afternoon. That's how we've
been practicing and hopefully we
play that way as well."
Coming from a different region,
however, Newcomb has much to
learn about opponents they will
soon face.
"We want to be playoff team -
that's everyone's goal," he said.
"But it's hard being an outsider and
not knowing what our opponents
have and where we stand with
them."
Last year, Ganado finished with
an overall record of 15-12 and
returns five players from last year.
"We're young," he said. "But
I want the kids to create a sense
of toughness - getting in front of
a ground ball, taking one off the
chest, or diving for a ball."
Those returning include junior
catcher Jordon Hardy, junior
pitche Elliot Bums, junior second
baseman Donald Noble, senior
third baseman Benton Begay and
senior left fielder Namith Tullie.
"They bring leadership and
accountability," Newcomb said
of his returnees. "I can count on
See GANADO, page B-3
Ganado's Elliot Burns (2) reaches for the throw as Tuba City's Lyghton Bulter (9) reaches second base
March 11 at Ganado High. Tuba City defeated Ganado 26-5, (Times photo - Paul Natonabah)
Navajo Times all.star nomination forms out
today for high school winter sports
WINDOW ROCK - The official nomination forms
for the Navajo "lqmes 2010-2011 All-Star basketball
and wrestling teams for the high School winter
sports season will be available to all local and
regional coaches and athletic directors starting
today- March 17.
The Navajo Times All-Star teams honor student-
athletes and coaches in the sPOrtS of boys and girls
basketball and wrestling for the 2010-11 season.
These forms can be downloaded from the Navajo
Times website at www.navajotimes.com. Fax
completed nomination forms to the Navajo Times
office at 928-871-1159.
Area coaches and athletic directors are urged
to submit their completed nomination forms with
correctly spelled names, grade, position or weight
class, and supporting statistics and honors for their
respective student-athletes and coaches as soon
as possible.
A complete list of all the selected all-stars will
be published during the month of April in the
Navajo Times and on the Navajo Times website:
navajotimes.com.
If you are unable to download a nomination
form, please call the Navaj0 Times office for Amber
Wauneka to have a form mailed to your school.
The deadline to submit these nomination forms
to the Navajo Times office is Friday, April 1 by 5
p.m.
FQr more information on the nomination forms,
contact sports editor Candace Begody or editor's
assistant Amber Wauneka at the Navajo Times
office in Window Rock at 928-871-1130.
O
Basketball
Girls
March 10
Gallup 50, Roswell 44
Kirtland Central 53, Grants 49
Santa Fe Indian School 36, Hope
Christian 20
March 11
Gallup 60, Kirtland Central 44
Navajo Pine 45, Texico 41
Baseball
March 10
Bradshaw Mountain 16,
SCORES " SCORES,"
Coc0nino 2.
Farmington 14, Miyamura3.
Florence 11, Miami 2.
Pays on 13, Winslow 11.
Pim 17 Fort Thomas 7.
TubaCity 20, Rough Rock 6.
Wickinburg 11, Tonopah Valley 1.
Marcl 11
Aztec '11, Gallup 3.
Farmington 6, Cherokee Trails 3.
Gallup 5, San Juan 3.
Globe 12, San Carlos 3.
Holbrook 8, St. Johns 7.
Rio Rancho 15, Miyamura 5.
Round Valley 9, Mogollon 7.
Safford 3, Morenci 1.
Tuba City 26, Ganado 5.
Winslow 32, Sanders Valley 0.
March 12
Farmington 6, Belen 0.
Gallup 9, Kirtland Central 1.
Miami 18, Baboquivari 0.
Saguaro 24, Page 4.
Uintah 6, Miyamura 5.
Williams Field 11, Coconino 9.
March 14
Navajo Prep 13, Tohatchi 9.
Navajo Prep 16, Tohatchi 6.
March 15
Holbrook 21, Window Rock 10.
San Carlos 23, Canyon State 14.
Sanders Valley 10, Pifion 5.
Show Low 13, Payson 2.
St. Johns 11, Mogollon 10.
Thatcher 61 Morenci 2.
Tonopah Valley 13, Arizona
Lutheran 3.
Winslow 26, Chinle 1.
Yuma 7, Gila Ridge 6.
Softball
March '10
Coconino 12, Bradshaw Mountain
3.
Dysart 4, Flagstaff 2.
Florence 12, Miami 2.
Pima 12, Fort Thomas 11.
Snowflake 10, St. Johns 0.
Winslow 6, Payson 4.
" SCORES ฎ
March 11
Belen 10, Grants 6.
Globe 21, San Carlos 1.
Kirtland Central 4, Raton 0.
Raton 10, Navajo Prep 0.
Round Valley 12, Window Rock 7.
Safford 8, Morenci 1.
Snowflake 10, Blue Ridge 0.
Tuba City 19, Ganado 2.
Winslow 21, Sanders Valley 0.
March 12
Aztec 9, Kirtland Central 2
Coconino 13, Williams Field 3
Grants 15, East Mountain 4.
VKirtland Central 9, Shiprock 1
Miami 11, Baboquivari 4
Moriarty 12, Gallup 4
Piedra Vista 1, Volcano Vista 0.
Valencia t4, Grants 6.
March 14
Grants 16, Gallup Catholic 4
March 15
Blue Ridge 12, Round Valley 0
Holbrook 9, Window Rock 7
Morenci 22, Thatcher 2
Pifion 18, Sanders Valley 2
St Johns 6, Mogollon 2:
Winslow 23, Chinle 0