Cougars sweep Battle of the Drum at home

by David Boyle
News Director
The Monument Valley boys basketball team defeated Whitehorse in the Battle of the Drum on February 16.
The Raiders took a 29-10 lead in the first quarter but the Cougars battled back to make the score 39-34 Whitehorse at halftime. After three quarters the score still favored the Raiders 53-46.
But the Cougars tied the game 55-55 with three minutes remaining the in the game. With under two minutes left Raider Lyric Phillips hit a deep three to make the score 70-68 Cougars.
On the next possession, the Raiders forced a shot-clock violation with 55 seconds remaining. D’Wayne Nakai drew a foul and hit both free throws to tie the game with 47 seconds remaining.
The Raiders again played good defense with Phillips drawing a foul and hitting two free throws to give the Raiders a two-point lead with 14 seconds remaining.
After taking the ball down the court Monument Valley called a timeout with seven seconds left in the game. Out of the timeout, Doreon Chee gave the ball to Braxton Goodshield who drove down the lane and put up a shot.
An offensive putback by Chee was no good but a second attempt by Chee went up before the buzzer to tie the game 72-72 and force overtime.
Monument Valley held the momentum in the overtime period, building a 78-72 lead before Whitehorse could get back in gear.
The Raiders rallied to make the score 80-77 with under two minutes remaining. But Cougar Braxton Goodshield responded with a bucket to make the score 82-77 with 1:35 remaining.
Following a defensive stand by the Cougars, Monument Valley scored with Doreon Chee making a shot off an inbound play. Nakai drew a foul on the other end and hit two free throws to make the score 84-79.
Monument Valley junor Joshua Hicks then drove the lane and scored to make the score 86-79. A foul on a three-point shot gave Phillips three more points at the line to make the score 86-82 with 30 seconds remaining.
An offensive putback by Chee was the final basket of the night making the score 88-82. Following the game Chee raised to the Whitehorse corner of the gym to retrieve the drum.
Chee led the Cougars in scoring with 29 points on the game. Goodshield finished with 22 points while Atene scored 18, Hicks 12, and Cly six points in the win.
Whitehorse was led in scoring by Phillips with 31 points while D’Wayne Nakai scored 29. Tohonnie hit four threes to make 12 points and Dominic Dance scored four. Camron Nakai, Elam Etsitty, and Kaleb Joe all scored two points apiece in the game.
Monument Valley earned the #16 seed in the state tournament and will host #17 Tintic in a play-in game this Saturday, February 25.
The Cougars finished the season with a record of 5-15. If they win their play-in game they’ll take on #1 Panguitch in the second round in Richfield on March 1 at 1:00 p.m.
Whitehorse earned the #12 seed in the state tournament and will host #21 Intermountain Christian in a play-in game this Saturday, February 25.
The Raiders finished the season with a 9-12 record. If they win their play-in game they’ll take on #5 Milford in the second round in Richfield on March 1 at 11:30 a.m.
The Monument Valley girls won the Region 23 title outright and the Battle of the Drum at their senior night on February 16 against the Whitehorse Raiders.
The Lady Cougars took a 19-5 lead through one quarter extending their lead to 32-17 at halftime. Through three quarters the score was 48-30 with a final score of 64-44.
Monument Valley was led in scoring by Raemi Nez who finished the night with 17 points while Shimequa Hudson scored 11. Mariah Begaye, Precious Bedonie and Alyah Blackwater all scored eight points for the Lady Cougars while Shikeeya Hudson scored seven, Nevaeh Wilson had four, and Chianne Bedoni scored one in the victory.
Lamyia Benally led Whitehorse scoring with 13 points, while Shunbaah Begay scored 10. Shayla Miller had seven for the Raiders while Shania Mitchell and Shelby Vasku each scored five with Heidi Clark scoring three and Kiera Chee adding one point in the game.
Monument Valley earned the #5 seed in the state tournament and they’ll enjoy a first-round bye this weekend. The Lady Cougars finished the season with a record of 16-5 and went undefeated in region play to claim the region 23 title.
They’ll take on #12 Altamont in the second round of the state tournament in Richfield on March 1 at 11:30 a.m.
Whitehorse earned the #13 seed and will host #20 Pinnacle in a play-in game this Saturday, February 25.
The Lady Raiders finished the season with an 8-13 record and were second in Region 23.
If they win their play-in game they’ll take on #4 Wayne in the second round in Richfield on March 1 at 1 p.m. All the state tournament games in Richfield will be broadcast live on Redrock 92 Radio.