Ganado squeaks by Hopi

POLACCA, Arizona — The Ganado - Hopi basketball game would perhaps be more appropriately known as the Cody Mueller against Davin Leslie game; each of the star players scored more than half of their teams points.

Mueller barely won the scoring battle, and Ganado escaped with a 54-49 victory against Hopi Wednesday night, December 13. The Hornets improved to 6-7 with their opening season conference game set for Monday against Tuba City. The Bruins fell to 3-9, but remained 1-0 in conference play.

Mueller, a powerful center, poured in a game high 30 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots. followed by Nathan Salabiye for Ganado with six points. Leslie paced the Bruins with 28 points, three rebounds and six assists. Teammate Garrick Jones added 10 points.

Mueller broke open a 47-47 tie game with back to back lay-ups giving Ganado a 51-47 edge. Hopi had three chances to cut into the lead after the Hornets missed two one-and -one foul situations, but the Bruins failed to capitalize.

Neilson Nez put the game out of reach when he hit two foul shots with 52 seconds left to give the Hornets a 53-47 edge with 20 seconds remaining. Nine seconds later, Nathan Salabiye added another foul shot. Hopi closed out the scoring when Anthony Vaughn sank a lay-up with three seconds left.

Leslie hit three treys in the first quarter as Hopi took an 11-5 edge, but Jay Taliman countered with a three for Ganado and when Nez sank a lay-up with 33 seconds left in the period the Hornets were within 14-1.

Mueller had only three points during the opening quarter, but the second stanza would be different story. Hopi opened the quarter with a 7-2 spurt. Jones hit a lay-up, which was countered by a Mueller jumper, but then Leslie hit a trey and a lay-up as Hopi pulled ahead 21-13.

The Bruins then put in their substitutes and Mueller got the hot hand. He scored seven straight on a three-point- play, a lay-up and two foul shots. Logan Koopee interrupted with a lay-up, Mueller hit two more foul shots. Jones hit three shots for Hopi as the Bruins remained ahead 26-22, but Mueller had scored all 15 points for Ganado during the quarter while Leslie and Jones scored five each for Hopi.

Ganado took a 31-26 edge on a lay-up by Taliman and a trey by Salabiye, but Hopi roared back with nine straight points, and then it was Ganado’s turn to finish the quarter with eight points.

The scoring battle between the dynamic was obvious in the early fourth quarter. Leslie started the scoring with a reverse lay-up and a trey to put Hopi ahead 40-39, but Mueller hit back to back lay-ups to give Ganado a 43-40 edge before Leslie countered with two more free throws.

Ganado’s Carson Pete interrupted with a rebound shot to put the Hornets up 45-42, but Leslie hit two more free throws. Lavon Salabiye countered with a lay-up for Ganado, but Jones hit a trey for Hopi to know the game at 47-47 and setup Mueller’s late game heroics.

Leslie scored nine points in the final quarter while Mueller scored eight.

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