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Navajo Pine rolls over Rehoboth

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Koa Louis (13 pts.) too much for Rehoboth

Eighth-grade guard Jordan Louis and senior center Timeka Watchman scored 13 points apiece and the Navajo Pine Lady Warriors rolled over the Rehoboth Christian Lady Lynx 57-34 Feb. 4 in a basketball game played at Rehoboth Christian School.

The game was one of two played Saturday at Rehoboth which was Homecoming weekend for the Lynx. The Lynx don’t have a football team, so homecoming is held during basketball season.

“This was us hustling and getting up and down the floor on offense and defense,” Lady Warriors’ head coach Aretha Mariano said. “We played well on offense and we played very well on defense.”

After falling behind the first few minutes of the game, Navajo Pine (12-6, 2-0) never got the lead and never trailed and the offensive flow for Pine was evident from that point. The Lady Lynx got out to a 4-0 early lead in the first quarter behind shots by sophomore guard Kennedi Chapman. But Pine quickly redeemed things behind inside shots by Koa Louis. Koa Louis was a major problem for the Lady Lynx on offense and defense, as she was moving and rebounding and setting picks and screens for teammates.

By the time Rehoboth (4-13, 1-2) figured out what was hitting them, Navajo Pine had accumulated a 13-4 lead near the end of the first quarter. The Lady Warriors ended the first quarter leading 13-6, but Mariano was just setting the table for a Pine blitz.

“We had some defensive lapses and that hurt us a little,” Rehoboth head coach Adrian Pete said. “We weren’t able to hit some shots that we normally make. Give credit to Navajo Pine.”

The Lady Warriors kept the momentum going in the second quarter with shots by Koa Louis and Jordan Louis. The sister tandem has been difficult for fellow 2A teams to handle this season, Mariano alluded. Adriana Pete and Jessica Becenti of Rehoboth were able to score some points on jump shots for Rehoboth, but it wasn’t enough in the second quarter to catch the hot-shooting Lady Warriors.

The third quarter began with Navajo Pine up 30-11 and with Rehoboth coach Pete trying to get a decent combination of players to stop the Navajo Pine fast breaks and bucket deluges. Senior guard Karralee Morgan was inserted at intervals, but even the quick and athletic Morgan couldn’t contain Koa Louis. Morgan never managed to get a shot off on offense.

The Louis sisters maintained the aggressiveness in the fourth quarter. Rehoboth senior guard Halle Lizer, who normally scores in double figures against 2A teams, wasn’t able to get loose for cuts to the basket or for jump shots. Lizer ended the game with a very hard-earned 5 points.

Junior forward Angeline Yazzie hit eight points for the Lady Warriors. The Lady Lynx’ schedule doesn’t get better in the coming weeks with games scheduled this week against red-hot Tohatchi High School. The Lady Cougars are (17-5, 4-0) and flat-out one of the best 3A girls teams in New Mexico.

“It’s always good to see my school win,” Tammy Yee, of Navajo, N.M., said. “It was a good game.”

By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent