Raiders defeat Cougars in Battle of the Drum

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Monument Valley Cougars and Whitehorse Raiders met in Montezuma Creek on Wednesday, January 8 for the first Battle of the Drum matchup on the basketball court this season.
The Whitehorse gym was packed for the two varsity contests between the longtime rivals and there was an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation.
The girls teams got the evening started quickly with the host Whitehorse Lady Raiders opening a 15-9 lead in the first quarter.
Action heated up in the second quarter as both teams battled back and forth. Ultimately Whitehorse held sway, outscoring Monument Valley 14-13 in the frame to take a 29-22 lead into the halftime break.
The teams came back onto the court to play another exciting quarter in the third, with the Lady Raiders maintaining their lead to win the quarter 13-12, making the score 42-34 heading into the final period.
The Lady Cougars fought with all their heart, and put together their strongest quarter to outscore Whitehorse 16-15. But the rally fell just short and the Lady Raiders satisfied their home fans with a 57-50 win.
Alyssa Eltsosie led scoring for Whitehorse with 15 points but she had a lot of help. Hannah Clark scored 13 points including one three-point basket and Keiarra Martin poured in 12 with an impressive three treys on the night.
Lamyia Benally tallied eight points for the Lady Raiders with two three-pointers. Heidi Clark collected seven points, and Lakyara Begay rounded out the Whitehorse scoring with two points.
Dakotah Cly had a very impressive night for Monument Valley, hitting four three-point buckets and leading all scorers with 29 points. Kaylisa Tome had three treys and 11 points on the night.
Shikeem Hudson scored five points for the Lady Cougars, Shaundin Blackwater and Malaya Blackmountain scored two apiece, and Ajainna Cly got one point.
Following the girls game, the Whitehorse and Monument Valley boys hit the court for the finale of the night.
The Raiders wasted no time in showing they had zero intention of relinquishing the Drum to their rivals as they dominated from start to finish on the way to a 76-32 final.
Twelve different Whitehorse players scored at least two points in the win, starting with 16 points for freshman Hyatt Thomas. Kalin Tohonnie helped out with 11 points, and Dominic Dance and Aiden Hamm collected nine apiece.
Kaleb Joe scored seven points for the Raiders, Adam Joe six, Elam Etsitty five, Taylen Miller four, and Asa Hot three. Caiden Lansing, Brayden John, and Riley Begay all scored two points apiece to round out the Whitehorse scoring.
Dance, Thomas, and Tohonnie all hit two three-point buckets apiece while Hamm, Hot, and Joe got one each.
Senior Tobias Grey led Monument Valley scoring with seven points. Caleb Cly scored six, Akecheta Shortman and Brice Goodshield added five apiece, Alexander Hicks scored four, Riley Stanley three, and Jake Deswood two.
The Cougars scored four three-pointers on the night – two for Caleb Cly and one each for Riley Stanley and Brice Goodshield.
Shortman led Monument Valley with ten rebounds in the loss. Grey pulled down six boards, Hicks five, Cly three, Goodshield two, and Stanley one.
The win over the Cougars was the high point for the Whitehorse boys. They hit the road for a couple games over the weekend, suffering two losses along the way. On Friday, January 10 the Raiders fell to Valley 77-49 and on Saturday, January 11 they lost to Milford 75-60.
Hyatt Thomas again led scoring at Valley with 16 points. Adam Joe scored 15 points, Kalin Tohonnie six, and Elam Etsitty five. Kaleb Joe and Dominic Dance added three points apiece and Brayden John got one.
Thomas drained three three-point baskets for Whitehorse in the loss while Tohonnie hit two. Joe, Etsitty, and Dance all got one trey apiece.
In Milford Tohonnie led scoring with 19 points, while Dance collected 17 and Thomas poured in ten. Joe and Etsitty scored four apiece, John got three, and Aiden Hamm rounded out the scoring with two.
Tohonnie and Dance hit an impressive four three-point baskets each in the loss. Thomas added two, and John hit one trey.
Following the past week’s action the Whitehorse girls are 7-3 on the season, ranked fourth in the 1A RPI standings. The boys are 5-7 on the year and they sit 12th in their standings.
The Monument Valley girls are 6-7, ranked tenth in their standings, while the boys are now 2-8 in the 20th position.
The Cougars played another matchup with a local rival on Tuesday, January 14 when they hosted the Monticello Buckaroos. The boys are finished for the week, but the girls team will host Shiprock, NM on Thursday, January 16.
Both Whitehorse teams are also at home this week. On Wednesday, January 15 they host Rough Rock, AZ and Thursday, January 16 they’ll host Pinnacle in a couple of Region 19 matchups.

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