Window Rock Scouts vs Safford Bulldogs

Here are the highlights of the 2011 Arizona 3A State Championship Semi Final Game between the Window Rock High School Scouts versus Safford High School Bulldogs.

A top ranking is never a clear pass to a championship game. But it sure is a strong indicator of the talent and competitive level of a squad. No. 1 Fort Defiance Window Rock cruised to a 48-38 win against No. 5 Safford in Friday's Class 3A semifinal at Jobing.com Arena to secure a place in Saturday's finale against No. 3 Kayenta Monument Valley. This is back-to-back showings in the finals for Window Rock as it lost last year's championship to Winslow. "It was one of our goals all year to get back to Glendale and get another chance at it," Window Rock coach Charles Chong said. "So (Friday) the girls gave themselves another shot at it, and I'm proud of them." The first quarter hinted at a lopsided contest as Window Rock (32-1) stormed out to a 15-6 lead with junior forward Francine Clark keying eight of those points. But an 8-0 run by Safford (26-5) pulled it within two. The teams traded points before back-to-back baskets made it 28-20 in favor of Window Rock at intermission. "We knew that Safford's strength is their inside game, and we wanted to try and neutralize that," Chong said. "We still gave them a lot of points in the first half and at half time, we talked about that and I think we did a little bit better in the second half." The third quarter was a turning point as Window Rock took over. Six straight points forced Safford to call a timeout, but the offense continued for Window Rock. Clark and senior guard Sydney Perkins combined for 11 points, and Window Rock held a 43-26 advantage entering the fourth quarter. A 10-0 streak early in that frame led by freshman forward Jordan Abalos and senior forward Jessica Hancock put Safford within eight. But a basket by Window Rock senior guard Coralie Clark with 42 seconds left squashed a possible comeback. "We worked a lot on execution and having the girls keep themselves in balance and I thought sans a couple minutes there, we did a pretty good job," Chong said.
The Scouts will return two starters from this year's lineup, sophomore guard Arianne Sheka and junior guard Francine Clark. "When you lose quality players, there is no way your team will operate the same," said Chong. "But there is still a ton of potential and talent that needs to be harnessed. It just depends on how much they want it, how hard they are willing to work and how much they want to commit. The Window Rock Lady Scouts made it look easy to win a state championship last Saturday. But that's what you get when you have high-caliber players such Ashley Mitchell, court mastermind Coralie Clark and rebounder Arianne Sheka in the starting lineup."

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• 2011
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[YoungNation2011]

ARIANNE SHEKA IS HOT!!