Whitehorse girls finish 5th at the state tournament

The Whitehorse girls basketball team finished in 5th place at the 1A state tournament.
Whitehorse defeated Valley 39-29 in the final day of the tournament to secure 5th place and finish the season with an 18-5 record.
The Raiders built a 10-7 lead after one quarter extending the lead 16-11 at halftime.
Valley won the 3rd quarter with Whitehorse leading 27-23 after three quarters. The Raiders dominated the fourth quarter to secure the 39-29 win.
Whitehorse was led in scoring on the game by Heidi Clark who scored 11 points. Hannah Clark added seven with seniors Alyssa Eltsosie and Lamia Benally each scoring six points. Keiarra Martin scored five while Kayla Mitchell had four.
Whitehorse shot 37.5-percent from the field on the game. The most efficient shooter was Kayla Mitchell who was 2/3 on the game.
Whitehorse held Valley to 27.5 percent shooting from the field with 18.2-percent from three.
Whitehorse was out rebounded slightly with Valley securing 29 and Whitehorse pulling down 23. In unofficial statistics Heidi Clark led the team with six rebounds while Benally and Eltsosie each had four.
Whitehorse had assists on 11 baskets. Hannah Clark recorded four assists while Heidi Clark had three.
Whitehorse also stole the ball 13 times with Heidi and Hannah Clark each recording four steals. The Raiders also had three blocks with Keiarra Martin recording two blocks in back to back defensive possessions near the end of the half.
The Raiders forced 29 turnovers, including multiple shot-clock violations in the second half to secure the win in the final game of the season.
Whitehorse led most of the game with four lead changes and did trail by two points in the third quarter, but the Raiders pulled away in the final frame to earn the 39-29 win.
Whitehorse finished the season with a record of 18-5 including a 3-1 run at the state tournament. The Raiders also captured their first region title in 20 years in the process.
The Raiders will say goodbye to seniors Lamia Benally, Alyssa Eltsosie, Kayla Mitchell and Heidi Clark.
In her post-game interview Heidi Clark noted the tournament was a reflection of more than a decade of basketball.
“Ever since I was a little girl I was out in the dirt, gravel, cement, wherever there was a hoop, I was at. It didn’t matter if it was inside a gym or not. As long as there was a hoop and rim I just put in the work.”
The week was also the first time Kayla Mitchell played her senior season after suffering a knee injury in volleyball. Mitchell pushed through and gave great contributions on the Raiders 5th place run.
“I chose to play the sport. I chose to push myself through it. I made myself play and got to play a few games.”
Senior Alyssa Eltsosie shared it was an emotional game with the team playing for each other to close out a successful season.
“This was the best season I’ve had since being in high school. My other seniors sharing this moment with me. We love one another and it made the season so much better.”
Lamyia Benally noted it was a historic season with the team winning Region 19, going undefeated at home and making it to the final day of the season. Benally shouted out the fans who supported the team all season long and at the state tournament.
“It felt like I was home, back at my home gym, here. It was a great feeling. I bet it’ll never go away because once a raider, always a raider.”

Postgame interviews with the seniors can be found online at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/live/Futcqhd3ep8?si=bQ5JbwPgz1nBVcGD&t=5568