First round of the Scorpion Invite girls tournament in the books

Farmington moves past Shiprock to face Monument Valley in second round; Durango edged in overtime against Volcano Vista; Rock window above Maryvale

FARMINGTON – The Farmington High girls basketball team overcame an inconsistent shooting performance Thursday night, using defense and speed to defeat Shiprock by a final score of 67-40 in a first-round tournament victory Marv Sanders Scorpion Invitational women’s basketball tournament at Scorpion Arena.

Senior Aaliyah Archuleta scored a game-high 17 points, including nine in the fourth quarter as the Scorpions improved to 5-0 on the season and advanced to the tournament’s second round winners and a game Friday at 7:45 p.m. against Monument Valley, Arizona.

Farmington led by a score of 15-14 after the first quarter, but went on a 14-0 run midway through the second quarter, led by a pair of baskets from junior Caris Dale, including a 3-pointer and a lay-up at the hoop. Shiprock missed five straight field goal attempts and failed to convert on two free throws in the nearly four minutes before halftime.

Overall, neither team shot particularly well in the first half. Farmington converted just 14 of 40 shots in the first two quarters, while Shiprock made just eight of 24 attempts from the field.

Defensively, Farmington had a big performance that boosted the offensive attack. The Scorpions recorded six steals and two blocked shots in the first half and went into the locker room with a commanding 36-23 advantage. Many of these steals and blocked shots resulted in easy transition points and fast break opportunities.

“We couldn’t get the shots early, but the defense stepped up and really gave us opportunities to get the points we needed,” said Farmington head coach, Tom Adair.

Dale scored 12 points in the win, while junior Kjani Anitielu scored 11 points.

Shiprock was led by Avaiya Etcitty, who scored 15 points in the loss. The Chieftains (2-3) fall into the consolation bracket and a showdown Thursday at 12:45 p.m. against Aztec.

Monument Valley rallies for first-round win over Aztecs

Keiryn Mann and Catisha Mutte each scored in double figures as the Monument Valley (Ariz.) high school girls’ basketball team rallied for a 44-43 victory over Aztec in the first-round opener of the Marv Sanders Girls Invitational Basketball Tournament inside Scorpion. Arena at Farmington High.

Mutte led the Mustangs with 16 points, including seven in the fourth quarter as Monument Valley rallied from a four-point deficit heading into the final eight quarters.

Trailing 34-30 heading into the fourth quarter, Monument Valley fought its way back to the lead thanks to Mann, who drove his way to the basket to tie the game early in the period, then scored is found wide open for a 3-point shot with 4:01 remaining in regulation time. Mann finished the contest with 14 points.

Mutte scored each of Monument Valley’s final four points in regulation, including a 3-pointer with 1:13 left to give the Mustangs what appeared to be a sizable 44-39 lead.

Aztec, led by a strong performance from Khloe Schmidt, who led all competition scorers with 17 points, scored a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to close the gap.

Schmidt gave the Tigers a big boost in the final 90 seconds of the third quarter, scoring each of the team’s final seven points, ending a cold spell in the frame in which the team missed each of his first six shots and turned the ball over three times.

Jazzlyn Gomez had four steals for the Tigers as both teams struggled to maintain possession throughout the game. Monument Valley turned the ball over 14 times while Aztec coughed up the ball ten times in the game.

The Aztecs’ Autumn Villanueva scored with 16.9 seconds remaining to cut Monument Valley’s lead to one point. Forced to foul on the Mustangs’ next possession, Aztec stayed within one point when Kanon Dalton missed both of her free throw attempts with 2.9 seconds on the clock.

Jazzlyn Gomez had four steals for the Tigers as both teams struggled to maintain possession throughout the game. Monument Valley turned the ball over 14 times while Aztec coughed up the ball ten times in the game.

The Tigers failed to make a shot after the second miss, putting Aztec in the tournament’s consolation bracket and a 12:45 p.m. Friday matchup against Shiprock and a 3-2 record overall.

Monument Valley improves to 6-2 on the season and will face Farmington Friday at 7:45 p.m. in a winner-take-all showdown at Scorpion Arena.

Volcano Vista overtakes Durango in overtime

Senior Mila Espinoza scored 25 points to lead Volcano Vista into the Marv Sanders Invitational girls basketball tournament winners’ bracket after the Hawks beat Durango 58-54 in overtime Thursday afternoon at Scorpion Arena in Farmington High.

The Hawks, who played for the Class 5A state title last season, survived a late rally by the Demons who outscored Volcano Vista 18-11 in the fourth quarter thanks to a pair of big shots from senior Ellie White which brought Durango back from a seven-game-point deficit.

The Hawks played under pressure for much of the game, especially when Espinoza was forced to the bench for most of the second quarter after committing her third personal foul. The Hawks offense looked a little out of shape without their leading scorer on the field.

“(Espinoza) is our captain and we need her on the court, and we missed that when she was on the bench,” Volcano Vista head coach Lisa Villareal said.

When Espinoza was on the court, she showed why she is one of the most dominant players in Class 5A. She scored 17 points in the second half, but perhaps left more points unanswered when she missed five free throw attempts in the fourth quarter.

Volcano Vista’s Jalysa Hines hit a 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 52-52. The Demons appeared to be on the verge of victory moments earlier when Mariah Maestas hit two free throws with 19 seconds remaining.

During the four-minute overtime session, Volcano Vista outscored Durango 6-2, with Espinoza, Hines and Mia Zuniga leading the scoring for the Hawks. Durango made just one of four shots from the field in the overtime session and turned the ball over twice.

Missing on the court for the Demons was junior Claire Goodwin, who led the Demons with 17 points before fouling out of the game with less than five minutes to play.

Volcano Vista (2-1) advances to the second round of the tournament in the winner’s bracket and will face Window Rock, Ariz., Friday at 4:15 p.m.

Durango (1-2) will face Maryvale in a consolation matchup Friday at 11 a.m.

Window Rock passes Maryvale

Senior Kourtney Bitselley and freshman Cauleen Segay led the Window Rock girls basketball team to a dominant 64-12 victory over Maryvale (Ariz.) on Thursday at Farmington High School’s Scorpion Arena in a A first round game of the Marv Sanders Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament. .

Bitselley scored 15 points for the Scouts, while Segay added 12 in a game that was never in doubt. Junior Shalaya Yazzie also scored in double figures for Window Rock, which scored 10 points.

Window Rock (5-5) advances to the second round of the tournament and will face Volcano Vista in the winner’s bracket on Friday at 4:15 p.m. at Scorpion Arena.

Maryvale falls to 0-6 on the season and has been outscored by an average margin of 67 points per game this season according to Maxpreps. The Panthers will face Durango in a consolation game Friday at 11 a.m.

Copy article link