1A basketball goes down to the wire

By David Boyle
The Monument Valley girls and Monticello boys basketball went 2-0 in region play last week while picking up wins over Pinnacle and Green River.
The Lady Cougars earned their first win of the week 40-11 over Pinnacle on February 4.
The Cougars were led in scoring by Alyah Blackwater, who finished the game with 11 points, while teammate Lakenya Begaye added eight and Neveah Wilson chipped in seven points.
Raemi Nez added six points, Precious Bedonie added four and Chalyishia Tsosie and Chianne Bedonie each added two.
The Cougars pulled down 33 boards, including ten for Nez, six for Tsosie, and six for Wilson. 
The team had 13 assists, including five for Blackwater and five for Begaye.
On February 5, the Lady Cougars kept rolling with a 72-46 victory over Green River.
Nez led the way scoring finishing with an impressive 27 points on the game, with 26 points coming from the field as the junior went 1/1 from the free-throw line.
Also scoring in double-digits were Blackwater (16), Begaye (12), and Wilson (11).
Chalyishia Tsosie, Sonomie Bigman, and Cierra Black all added two points to the tally. 
The Monument Valley girls basketball team is 11-2 on the year and ranked #5 in the 1A RPI.
For the Monument Valley boys team, it was a tough week with the Cougars dropping both games, 53-40 to Pinnacle and 71-46 to Green River.
The boys team is 8-5 on the year and ranked #9 in the 1A RPI.
Both Monument Valley teams played in Monticello on February 8, after the press deadline. Their final game of the regular season is Friday, February 11 in Montezuma Creek against Whitehorse.
The game will be broadcast on PictureItPalmer.com and Redrock 92.7 FM.
The Monticello boys basketball team started the week on February 1 in Price against region foe Pinnacle Academy.
The Bucks were looking for revenge after losing 38-36 to the Panthers on January 11 in Monticello. The game on Tuesday opened with Pinnacle taking a 9-6 lead in the first quarter.
Monticello blew the game open in the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers 15-5 to take a 21-14 lead at the half.
The Bucks held on to that lead, outscoring the Panthers by five in the second half for a 48-36 final score.
Monticello was led in scoring by senior guard Boston Freestone, who finished the game with 19 points. Junior Landon Ewart chipped in ten, while fellow junior Donavan Atwood had seven.
Sophomore guard JD McDonald finished with five, junior Easton Young finished with four, and junior Tommy Sheeran added three.
The Bucks shot 43 percent from the field compared to the Panthers’ 33 percent. The Panthers out-rebounded the Bucks 28 to 23. Ewart secured six boards in the game.
Monticello also found success creating plays, with seven assists, including three for Freestone and three for Young.
Freestone’s defense led the way, forcing steals that led to easy layups for the Bucks. Freestone finished with four steals while Ewart had three. Ewart also had two blocks.
After a win on Tuesday, the Bucks played host to the Green River Pirates on Friday in a 60-37 win that Monticello dominated from wire to wire.
The Bucks were led in scoring by Young and Freestone, who combined for 37 points. Young led the way with 19 points, including five three-point shots. Freestone added 18, with only one point coming at the free-throw line.
Atwood added ten points, while Ewart contributed seven and Sheeran four. Sophomore Curtis Bunker scored two points.
The Monticello boys are 7-10 on the year and ranked #10 in the 1A RPI.
The Buckaroos hosted Monument Valley on February 8 after the press deadline. They’re next in action on February 17 when they host Dove Creek.
The Monticello girls basketball team went 1-1 on the week, earning a win in Price on Tuesday, February 1 before dropping a game at home on Saturday, February 5.
The Lady Bucks earned their second win of the year in a closely-contested 36-26 road game at Pinnacle Academy.
The Panthers held a 10-9 lead after one quarter of play and the score was tied at 16 at halftime. Entering the fourth quarter, Monticello held a 26-24 lead.
No points were scored in the first half of the fourth quarter, but Monticello guard Avery Shumway broke the stalemate with two clutch free throws followed by a back-breaking three-point shot by senior Ciara McCarthy. 
The Lady Bucks were led in scoring by McCarthy who scored 13, including three triples. Shumway added six points.
Kenlee Atwood added four points for the Lady Bucks, while Kylie Rogers, Jessi Slack, Rosy Beh, and Nikki Gomez each had two.
The Lady Bucks had less luck on Saturday when they hosted Bryce Valley. The Mustangs led wire-to-wire in a 61-26 victory over Monticello.
The Lady Bucks are 2-14 on the year, ranked #20 in the 1A RPI. They also played Monument Valley at home on February 8 after our press deadline. The Lady Bucks play Grand in Moab this Thursday, February 10.
The Lady Bucks host Green River on February 15 in a game that will be broadcast on PictureItPalmer.com and Red Rock 92.7 FM.
The Whitehorse girls won their only game of the week in dominating fashion over Bryce Valley on Friday, February 4 in a 56-27 victory. 
The Lady Raiders are now 13-7 on the year and are ranked #8 in the 1A RPI.
The Whitehorse boys team is 11-7 on the year ranked #7 in their 1A RPI.
Both boys and girls teams are next in action Friday, February 11 when they host Monument Valley for the final Battle of the Drum of the year, barring a meeting between the teams in the 1A state tournament.
The game will be broadcast on PictureItPalmer.com, the Whitehorse High School Activities Youtube page, and Redrock 92.7 FM.
Both teams also finish out their regular seasons on February 15 at home against Pinnacle Academy. Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on the Whitehorse High School Activities Youtube page.

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