Whitehorse boys and girls collect four combined wins

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Whitehorse High School girls basketball team improved to 12-4 on the season and 5-0 in Region 19 play with nice wins over Red Mesa, AZ and Pinnacle Academy this past week. The Lady Raiders are fifth in the 1A RPI standings.
On Monday, January 27 the girls welcomed the rival Red Mesa Lady Redskins to Montezuma Creek and it was an exciting hard-fought battle from start to finish.
The teams combined for 32 points in the first quarter with Whitehorse holding a slim 17-15 lead at the buzzer. The Lady Raiders outscored Red Mesa 12-9 in the second to increase their lead to 29-24 at the half.
It was another high-scoring quarter in the third with Whitehorse scoring 18 and the Lady Redskins 15 and the home team led 47-39.
Red Mesa rallied to outscore Whitehorse 13-9 in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Raiders were able to hold off their opponent for a 56-52 victory.
Keiarra Martin led Whitehorse scoring with 17 points, while Hannah Clark poured in 16, Heidi Clark added 11, Lamyia Benally added eight, and Alyssa Eltsosie scored four.
Martin hit a very impressive five three-point baskets in the win with Heidi Clark netting two and Hannah Clark one.
The win set the tone for the remainder of the week as the Lady Raiders traveled to Price on Thursday, January 30 for a Region 19 matchup with the Pinnacle Lady Panthers.
It was never in question as Whitehorse dominated their opponent for a solid 61-22 road win. Keiarra Martin led the way again with 22 points. Heidi Clark scored 19, Lamyia Benally eight, Alyssa Eltsosie seven, and Hannah Clark five.
Martin was unstoppable from long range again, hitting six three-pointers for the Lady Raiders. Heidi Clark scored two treys, and Alyssa Eltsosie and Hannah Clark combined for one apiece.
The Whitehorse boys also earned wins over Red Mesa and Pinnacle Academy this past week, improving to 9-9 on the season. They are ranked tenth in the 1A RPI standings.
Against the Redskins at home on Monday, January 27 the Raiders jumped out to a 17-6 lead after the first quarter. But Red Mesa rallied in the second to outscore their host 16-13 to make the halftime score 30-20.
The visitors bested Whitehorse by one in the third quarter 15-14, but the home team matched their output in the final frame to close out a 58-51 win.
Dominic Dance scored 17 points for the Raiders while Hyatt Thomas poured in 15, Kalin Tohonnie added 12, Adam Joe got nine, Elam Etsitty scored three, and Tristan Black got two.
Dance put on a long-range shooting clinic with five threes in the win. Tohonnie was right behind with four threes, and Thomas hit one.
The Raiders had to rally from behind in Price on Thursday, January 30 against Pinnacle. The Panthers opened with a 22-point first quarter to take a 22-19 lead.
Whitehorse outscored their Region 19 foe 45-17 in the second and third quarters however, storming back to take a 64-39 lead into the final frame.
The Panthers outscored the Raiders 21-12 in the fourth quarter, but Whitehorse had built enough of an advantage to come home with a 76-60 win.
Dominic Dance led Whitehorse scoring again with 21 points. Adam Joe netted 20 points while Kalin Tohonnie added 16.
Aiden Hamm scored eight points for the Raiders in the win. Elam Etsitty poured in six, Hyatt Thomas added three, and Jayden John scored two points.
On Friday, January 31 the Whitehorse boys closed out the week with a trip to Green River. The Pirates have dominated Region 19 this season and Friday’s contest was no exception.
Though the Raiders kept pace with their opponent in the second and third quarters, they were outscored 24-9 in the first and 21-8 in the fourth on the way to a tough 72-43 loss.
Kalin Tohonnie led Whitehorse scoring with 15 points as Green River held Dominic Dance to just eight points. Adam Joe also scored eight for the Raiders.
Hyatt Thomas added three points while Elam Etsitty and Tristan Black scored two apiece. Tohonnie hit three three-pointers and Thomas got one in the loss.
The Whitehorse boys and girls have identical schedules this week. They’re gearing up for the final Battle of the Drum this regular season with a matchup against the rival Cougars in Monument Valley on Wednesday, February 5.
Then the teams hit the road again for a couple of 1A crossover matchups with Region 20 teams. They’re in Junction, UT on Friday, February 7 to take on the #9 Piute Thunderbirds. On Saturday, February 8 they’ll stop in Tropic on the way home to play the Bryce Valley Mustangs.