Tuba City teams overtake Hopi

Tuba City 85 Hopi 68

TUBA CITY—Four Warrior players scored in double figures as Tuba City overcame Davin Leslie’s 37-point effort to beat Hopi, 84-68, in boys’ basketball action January 20.

Hopi fell 5-13 overall, but remained 3-3 in the 2A North.

Tristan Kewanyama led the Warriors with 17 points, James Justice fired in 16, Michael Wheeler netted 11, Lavar Martin scored 10 and Josh Allen added eight.

Aside from Leslie’s scoring feast, Cisco Mata netted 14 points, but was the only other Bruin in double figures.

Justice tossed in seven points and Kewanyama added five as Tuba City led 28-20 after the first quarter, despite Leslie pouring in 13 points for Hopi High. Leslie fired in 14 points in the second stanza as Hopi pulled within 46-40 at intermission, despite Kewanyama netting 10 points for the Warriors during the second quarter.

Justice scored six, Wheeler added five and Allen four as Tuba City took control, 65-51, after three periods. Leslie kept Hopi close by scoring five in the third quarter.

Eric Klain netted four and Adrian Hatathlie, Lavar Martin and Robert Morgan each hit a trey in the fourth period to keep the Warriors ahead. Mata fired in a half dozen points and Leslie added five more for Hopi.

Hopi High Coach Jeff Lambert said the Bruins were hurt when points guard Garrick Jones got into early foul trouble and two other players were lost to injuries late in the first half. Tom Silas hurt his ankle and will be out indefinitely. Dellen Lomayestewa hit his head on the floor. Both players missed the rest of the game, but Lomayestewa is expected to play in Hopi’s next game.

“It was disheartening to see the two leaders go down, but the kids played hard. They kept making runs at Tuba, but then our inexperience would show and we would have defensive breakdowns,” Lambert continued. “Davin and Cisco kept us in the game offensively, but we had no production out of the rest of our regular scorers.”

Tuba City won the battle of the boards, 28-27. “Tuba City is stronger and more aggressive on the boards. That hurt us,” he said.

Tuba City 61, Hopi 28

TUBA CITY—Tuba City High School scored the last seven points of the half and exploded in the third quarter to defeat Hopi, 61-27, in girls’ high school basketball action January 20.

Hopi fell to 12-9 overall and remained 5-1 in the 2A North.

Nicole Tsingine topped the Warriorettes with 21 points. Jayme Lomakema fired in 18 and Amy North added seven. Mallory Shattuck paced Hopi with 14 points, but none of the other Lady Bruins scored more than four points.

Shattuck scored a half dozen points in the opening period as Hopi led 12-11. Lomakema countered with five as Tuba City stayed close.

Lomakema netted 11 points and Tsingine added five as the Warriorettes zoomed ahead 45-22 after three quarters. Tsingine poured in another eight points in the final period as Tuba City coasted to victory.

Hopi High Coach Rick Baker noted that the Lady Bruins led most of the first half before Tuba City exploded for seven straight points before half time and ran away with the second half.

“We stayed within our game plan for most of the first half, but then our offense shut down when we had to substitute. In the second half, Tuba City went to a half court trap and we couldn’t adjust quickly enough,” he said.

Chassity Gould, Hopi’s starting point guard, missed the game due to a ceremonial and the Lady Bruins suffered two injuries during the first half. Tara Secakuku went out with a sprained ankle and Hannah Honani suffered a charlie horse.

“The rest of our players got tired and Tuba City took us out of our game and took over from there. But we’re not quite at the same level as Tuba City. That’s why they’re the 3A state champs,” he said.

The coach noted that Hopi stayed with Tuba City on the backboards during the first half, but yielded in the second.

“But we had too many turnovers that led to them getting easy lay-ups. That hurt us more than rebounding,” he said.

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