Chieftains satisfied with runner-up finish

 

F or the second time the Shiprock Chieftains fell to the Grants Pirates - but this time it was a better fall.

"They did good in both the first and second half," Shiprock head coach Cliff Johns said. "We're really starting to get the chemistry."

The Chieftains fell to the Pirates Saturday, 67-57, in the championship game of the Grants Holiday Hoop Classic.

Shiprock was one of eight teams that participated in the tournament. Teams competing included Cuba, Taos, Santa Fe Indian School, Pojoaque, Kirtland Central, Dulce, Shiprock and Grants.

In their season opener on Nov. 20, Shiprock fell to Grants, 60-53. Shiprock led that game for three quarters and by more than 10 points at one point.

This time, it was different.

Johns said there was improvement on both ends of the court for both teams.

"Basically, we worked a lot of our defensive end, a lot of boxing out," Johns said. "That was the thing we really needed to focus on - our defense."

But their newfound defensive strategies weren't enough to hold an already good Grants team that improved to an even stronger level.

"One guy on Grants just lit it up," Johns said. "We had guys in his face but he was still knocking them down."

Johns said the team had help from senior center standout Tyson Billy who did well in the paint and the team showed great effort throughout the game.

"We would close a gap of three or four points, but things were just working out for (Grants)," Johns said.

To get to the championship, Shiprock first had to defeat Dulce in the first round, 69-24.

But the competition got stiff as they moved on to the semifinals in a game with defending District 3A state champion Pojoaque.

Johns said in a brief conversation with Pojoaque's head coach, Joey Trujillo, the Elks mentor mentioned how his program was rebuilding.

"They got really good shooters, really solid shooters," Johns said.

Johns quickly made adjustments to stop the Elks' shooting.

"We changed the defense around, both man and zone," he said. "We contested their jump shots and we decided to go in low and get some points."

And with that the Chieftains defeated Pojoaque, 60-52.

Though they won two games and made it to the championship game, Johns said winning was the last thing on his mind.

"I'm not really concerned with winning or losing," he said. "I'm just concerned with getting better."

Grants

Having returned four key players from last year's squad, Grants had speed and offense on their side.

In round one, the Pirates defeated District 5-3A Cuba, 80-47, to move on to the semifinals.

In the semifinals they squeaked by Santa Fe Indian School, 60-58.

Pojoaque

With two or three returning players from last season's Class 3A state championship team, the Elks defeated Kirtland Central in the first round, 85-67.

In the second round, their sharp shooting wasn't enough to defeat the Shiprock Chieftains in a 60-53 loss.

Finally, Pojoaque played downtown and district rival Santa Fe Indian School for third place and defeated the Braves, 64-61, for a fourth place finish.

Kirtland Central

The Broncos went home with the consolation championship. In round one, Kirtland lost to Pojoaque, 85- 67.

In the semifinals of the consolation bracket, the Broncos defeated District 2-2A Dulce in a close 29-26 win.

In the consolation championship, the Broncos defeated District 2-4A Taos, 55-40.

Cuba

District 5-3A Cuba took seventh place after the opening round loss to Grants.

In the consolation semifinals, they played Taos but lost, 64-50, to the District 4A team.

In the seventh place game, they defeated Dulce, 65-49.

Back to top ^