Shiprock ends Bernalillo's hopes of going to the Pit

At Bernalillo, the Spartans had everything going their way early, and led by 13, but it unraveled over the final three quarters as the Lady Chieftains steadied themselves, rallied and eventually pulled away.

“We calmed down, we got the emotions out,” Shiprock coach Robert McCaskill said of an awful first quarter. “And then we just started to play. Soon as they calmed down, they were fine.”

Shiprock (16-13) had four points and eight turnovers in a sloppy first quarter. Bernalillo (23-6) went on a 15-0 run that lasted most of the final six minutes of that quarter, a run that began with a 3-pointer from freshman Jillian Lovato and ended on another 3 by Rayann Downing.

It was the Lady Chieftains’ perimeter shooting that got them back into the game. Abbagaile  McDonald knocked down a pair of 3s – five different Shiprock players hit at least one 3-pointer in this game – and Tegan Howe later added one as the Lady Chieftains went on a 12-0 run for a 21-20 lead.

Although Bernalillo’s Trinity Calabaza connected on the final two shots of the quarter for a 24-21 lead at halftime, Shiprock had seized momentum.

“We knew we were gonna take it after the first half,” Shiprock senior guard Nicolette Howard said. She led her team with 13 points.

More sharp shooting from the arc put Shiprock ahead in the third quarter. The go-ahead basket was a banked-in 3 in front of her bench by Madisen Duncan, her only points of the game that put Bernalillo in a 32-29 deficit.

The Lady Chieftains added to their lead throughout the quarter and after Howard’s putback it was 39-29 with 2½ minutes to go in the quarter as Shiprock scored 12 in a row.

Calabaza tried to rally Bernalillo by herself, and almost succeeded in the final two minutes of the quarter as the Spartans cut the deficit to 39-36 headed to the fourth.

But Shiprock scored the first seven of the final quarter, including a 3 by Keyin White, who also added a 19-footer moments later for another 10-point lead, this one 46-36 with 5:26 remaining.

The Lady Chieftains continually drained open looks from long range, while Bernalillo struggled to get anything going from the perimeter.

“Yes, and that’s what we are,” McCaskill said. “We’re not big, we’re not super athletic, but what we do well, we do well.”

For Bernalillo, the hopes of this dream season resulting in a trip to the Pit collapsed on the Spartans with three difficult quarters. Calabaza led all scorers with 18 points.

White added 12 points, Howe 11 for Shiprock.

“This is a resilient group,” McCaskill said, “and they deserve this.”

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.