Monument Valley girls place 4th at the state tournament beating Pinnacle and Manila

The #1 seed Monument Valley Lady Cougars opened the 1A Utah State Tournament with a 64-28 victory over region foe Pinnacle to start the tournament on February 28.
The Lady Cougars were led by senior Shimequa Hudson and freshman Malaya Blackmountain, who each scored 15 points. Senior Nevaeh Wilson scored 14, and sophomore Shikeeya Hudson had 11 points in the game. Senior Mariah Begaye added five with senior Precious Bedonie scoring four.
Monument Valley then won their quarterfinal matchup against Manila 58-54 on February 29, advancing to the state semifinals.
Begaye scored 19 points to lead Lady Cougar scoring, Shimequa Hudson scored 14, Bedonie 12, Wilson nine, Blackmountain three, and Shikeeya Hudson two.
Wilson also recorded 15 rebounds while Bedonie pulled down 11. Blackmountain and Bedonie both had two steals, while Shimequa Hudson dished out three assists in the win.
The Lady Cougars faced fourth-ranked Tabiona in the semifinals on March 1. They suffered a 51-41 loss, which dropped them into the third-place game.
An injury to Blackmountain and foul trouble for Wilson and the Hudson sisters put an already small roster up against a tough challenge. Monument Valley struggled from the field, shooting just 24.6 percent, while the Tigers hit 61 percent of their 26 free throws.
The Lady Cougars were led in scoring by Wilson who finished with ten points. Begaye and Shimequa Hudson each had nine with Bedonie scoring eight. Shikeeya Hudson scored three and Blackmountain added two.
Wilson led the way with nine rebounds, while Bedonie recorded four blocks. Shimequa Hudson recorded two steals and an assist for the Cougars.
Monument Valley closed the tournament against the Rich Rebels in the third-place game on March 2. The Lady Cougars held a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but the injuries limited roster finally caught up to them in a 45-30 loss.
Shimequa Hudson finished with 14 points to lead Monument Valley scoring. Bedonie scored six, Shikeeya Hudson scored five, Begaye had three and Wilson scored two.
Bedonie led the team with nine rebounds, while Wilson recorded three assists and Bedonie and Shimequa Hudson both had two steals.
Monument Valley finished the season earning the top seed in the state tournament and finished with a record of 21-3. The fourth-place finish is the team’s best result since their fourth place finish in 2018.
Monument Valley will bid a fond farewell to seniors Shimequa Hudson, Nevaeh Wilson, Mariah Begaye, and Precious Bedonie.