FARMINGTON – The Farmington High girls basketball team added a second tournament championship this season, capturing the Marv Sanders Memorial Invitational championship with a 48-39 victory over Volcano Vista Saturday in Scorpion Arena.
The Scorpions, now 7-0 and with a tournament title this month at Santa Fe High School, overcame a first-quarter deficit and outscored the Hawks 37-23 in the final three periods to win.
Junior Kjani Anitielu was named Most Valuable Player with a game-high 16 points in front of nearly 2,000 hometown fans. Junior Caris Dale scored 14 points and earned a spot-on the all-tournament roster.
“These girls really stepped up for us tonight, much like they have all weekend and this season,” said Farmington girls basketball head coach Tom Adair. “They played well on both sides of the ball, and their confidence carried over to the rest of the team.”
Sanders Girls Invitational, Saturday
Championship game
Farmington 48, Volcano Vista 39
Third-place game
Monument Valley 44, Window Rock 30
Fifth-place game
Durango 36, Aztec 23
Seventh-place game
Shiprock 69, Maryvale 11
Volcano Vista got off to a fast start in Saturday’s championship game. Mila Espinoza, Mia Zuniga and Jalysa Hines each hit 3-pointers to set the tone. Farmington went 5-for-12 from the floor in the opening period, but took advantage of a pair of Hawks turnovers to keep the deficit within reach.
Trailing 16-11 heading into the second period, the Scorpions turned up the defensive pressure, grabbing three steals in the opening minutes which were converted into baskets on the other end of the floor by Dale and Chenoa Parrish.
Anitielu scored three times from the field in the second period, which saw the lead change hands five times. Her 3-point shot from the near corner gave Farmington a 25-20 advantage with 3:50 remaining in the first half.
Espinoza kept Volcano Vista close, hitting a 3-pointer and free throws in the final two minutes of the first half, sending the Hawks into the locker room trailing 27-25.
The Hawks briefly took the lead back to start the third period when Zuniga connected on a 3-pointer, but their offense went cold after that, converting only once more from the field. Meantime, the Scorpions went on a 12-4 run highlighted by Dale, Anitielu and Harmony Thomas. Farmington had a 39-32 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.
“It was a game of runs for both teams,” said Volcano Vista head coach Lisa Villareal. “Both teams have very similar tendencies with the long ball and the transition, and Farmington is just very savvy with the ball.”
The Hawks again had difficulty making shots in the fourth period, going 2-for-10 in the final eight minutes. Farmington’s Aaliyah Archuleta, who was one of the team’s leading scorers in the two earlier games of the tournament, finally connected on a 3-point shot for her first points of the game as the Scorpions opened up a double-digit lead.
“She never got flustered when shots weren’t falling for her,” Adair said of Archuleta, who scored five points in the game and also made the all-tournament roster.
Coming out of a timeout with 3:56 left in the game, Farmington slowed the pace down considerably, opting to pass the ball around midcourt and chew up nearly a minute of the clock before the Hawks were forced to stop the clock by committing personal fouls and sending the Scorpions to the free-throw line. Archuleta and Dale both made good on those trips to preserve the victory.
Farmington advanced to the finals of the Sanders Invitational after a 72-41 blowout win Friday night over Monument Valley, Arizona. In Thursday’s opening round of the tournament, the Scorpions topped Shiprock 67-40. Anitielu finished the tournament with a total of 42 points to lead Farmington.
The Scorpions and Hawks will face each other at least twice more this season. Both teams have joined the newly aligned District 1-5A, and are scheduled to face off again in a district contest at Scorpion Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 29 before Farmington makes a road trip to Volcano Vista High on Thursday, Feb. 13.
“They’ve got an experienced team just like we do, and it’s going to be fun to face them this season in district play,” Adair said.
Farmington will be busy this week, with a Tuesday night showdown at Kirtland Central against the defending Class 4A champions before hosting Shiprock for a second time this season on Wednesday night. After that, the Scorpions will take part in the Hobbs Holiday Classic in search of their third tournament title this season.
| TEAM | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL |
| Hawks | 16 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 39 |
| Scorpions | 11 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 48 |
