KC bench aids win over Navajo Prep

 

No one knows how important it is to have players who can step up than the Kirtland Central Lady Broncos and the Navajo Prep Lady Eagles.

On Tuesday night, both teams found out just how well their players step in when the situation calls for it.

But it was Kirtland who left with the positive outcome as they defeated Navajo Prep, 61-45, on the court and off the bench.

"Five of these kids played varsity last year, but the rest of them coming in off the bench didn't play varsity last year," Kirtland head coach Charles Kromer said. "I feel like they're coming through, they're doing well for us."

With every point and every forced turnover, the Lady Broncos' bench showed how well they could perform.

The Lady Broncos got off to a quick start outscoring Navajo Prep in the first period and ending it with a 12-7 lead.

But the second quarter was all about Navajo Prep's Marqia Begaye as she scored 12 points, all three-pointers. With help from senior teammates Monique IronShell's in-the-paint two pointer and Nicole Crisp's free throw, Navajo Prep tied the game 28-28 going into halftime.

With a few adjustments the Broncos came back ready to play defensively.

"We did a little change on at half time, we changed our defense, we came out boxing out No. 11 (Begaye),” Kromer said. “After about four or five minutes, I said we could handle this man-to-man. We starting doing man-to-man and starting jumping the screens, and I thought that made a difference."

With the new defensive adjustments the Lady Broncos prevented Begaye from any more three-point shots the remainder of the game.

The Lady Broncos continued to take over as they wrapped up the third period with a eight-point lead, 46-38.

Amanda Kerr led the Broncos with 16 points, Faylyn Beyale, Olivia Harris and Vinell James, coming off the bench, each had 11.

Beyale said the bench has proven to be powerful.

"We have to do a lot of shooting (with center Lateesha Nez out till after Christmas with a knee injury) but a lot of people are stepping up and their showing what they got and we're doing pretty good," Beyale said, adding that she played JV last year and has seen herself improve.

"In Thoreau I came off the bench and scored 16,” she added, “it was really great, I played hard, I had good defense, I felt really good."

Down 13 points with 3:43 left in the fourth period, Navajo Prep got a chance to catch up as Kirtland standout Amanda Kerr fouled out.

But with no one to look to and a shaky defense, coach Crisp said the team struggled.

"I told them that we really had to do the little things, no unforced turnovers rebounding, I told them rebounding was going to be huge this game, but the main part of it was just our defense," Crisp said. "We didn't do quite so well, we had our ups and downs. There were times that we did very well on defense and then we kind of slipped."

Crisp said the return of Begaye is an asset to the team but there are still things that need improvement.

""She really stepped up her game…she kept us in the game for a while there," Crisp said. "The main thing that we lack this game besides Marqia in that first quarter was somebody really stepping up and making something happen. “(Marqia) did that for us at the first half,” she said.

But no one stepped up after that, she said.

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