FARMINGTON – The Farmington High girls basketball team made short work of Newcomb in Thursday’s opening round finale of the Marv Sanders Memorial Invitational Tournament, routing the Skyhawks 63-19 at home in front of a sizable crowd inside the Scorpion Arena.
The Scorpions, led by a 19-point performance from senior Chenoa Parrish, led from start to finish and were never seriously threatened in the victory, improving to 5-0 on the season.
Seniors Caris Dale and Kjani Anitielu each scored 10 points in the winning effort for the Scorpions, who will advance to the second round of the winners bracket and will face Window Rock on Friday at 7:45 p.m. The Scouts edged Shiprock by a final of 39-34 earlier in the day to advance in the three-day tournament.
Farmington got up early and scored often in the first quarter, leading by as many as 13 points in the opening frame thanks to a stubborn defense which took advantage of seven Skyhawks turnovers.
The second quarter was much of the same, as Farmington extended their lead, allowing Newcomb to score only two points in the entire quarter. The Skyhawks went into the locker room converting only once from the floor, turning the ball over six times, trailing 43-14 at the break.
In a span of more than 10 minutes of gametime between the second and third quarters, the Skyhawks were held without a point. With the game already in a running clock at the 2:20 mark of the third period, senior April Peshlakai scored a free throw to snap a Scorpion streak of 25 unanswered points.
Thursday Scoreboard
Sanders Memorial Invitational
Girls Basketball, Thursday Opening Round
Window Rock 39, Shiprock 34
Navajo Prep 34, Durango 31
Volcano Vista 55, Aztec 21
Farmington 63, Newcomb 19
“Our defense is ahead of the game right now for sure,” said Farmington head coach Tom Adair. “And we’re shooting the ball a lot better too. The points we had at halftime tonight is more than we’ve had this season at that point.”
Leading 53-16 heading into the fourth quarter, Farmington was able to get some of their reserves into the contest, as seniors Harmony Thomas and Talitha George made their way into the scorebook, as did senior Amry Garfield and junior Klynn Mullahon.
Newcomb, which opened the season with three straight wins, falls to 3-1 and will face Shiprock in a consolation round contest Friday at 12:45 inside the FHS auxiliary gym.
Senior Kourtney Bitselley scored 14 points, including a game-winning free throw late in the fourth quarter, as the Window Rock girls basketball team edged Shiprock 39-34 in the first round of the 2025 Marv Sanders Memorial Tournament in the Scorpion Arena at Farmington High.
Bitselley and senior Tiana Edison both scored in double figures for the Fighting Scouts, who advanced to a winner’s bracket matchup Friday night against Farmington.
Window Rock improved to 6-1 this season with the win over the Chieftains. Last season, the Fighting Scouts won their Sanders Invitational opener against Maryvale, Arizona, before dropping their final two games to Volcano Vista and Monument Valley.
Neither team started the contest strong. The Chieftains converted only two of 10 field goal attempts, while Window Rock committed six turnovers in the first quarter. Shiprock freshman Keyin White scored four points in the opening quarter, but Window Rock senior Kelly James led the way, giving the Fighting Scouts a 9-7 advantage heading into the second.
The Chieftains fell behind by as much as six points early in the second quarter before mounting a 9-2 run, led by Kylie Benally and Madisen Duncan. Shiprock went into the locker room with a 22-20 halftime lead.
The third quarter was another struggle for both teams, with the Chieftains going 2-for-11 from the floor and Window Rock going 2-for-10.
“We just keep making the same mistakes, we’re shooting the ball off the dribble, we’re not getting into rotations, and we’re not rebounding,” said Shiprock head coach Robert McCaskill.
The Chieftains edged the Fighting Scouts 5-4 in the third quarter to hold a 27-24 advantage entering the final frame.
Shiprock’s shooting woes continued in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, as they missed their first three field goal attempts and committed two turnovers.
Window Rock tied the game at 29-29 with 4:04 remaining when Bitselley drove the lane and hit a tough inside layup. Edison, who finished the night with 10 points, knocked down a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter as the game’s outcome hung in the balance.
The teams traded 3-pointers inside the final four minutes, with Abbagaile McDonald connecting from long range for the Chieftains and James converting for Window Rock. The game was decided at the free-throw line when Leilani Williams and Bitselley connected on four consecutive attempts to pull ahead in the final minutes.
The Navajo Prep girls basketball team led by as many as eight points in the third quarter before holding off a late rally, topping Durango 34-31 in an opening-round game of the Marv Sanders Memorial Girls Basketball Tournament on Thursday at Farmington High.
The win advanced the Eagles (2-1) into a second-round winner’s bracket match Friday against Volcano Vista, who routed Aztec in a first round game by a score of 55-21. That second round matchup is scheduled to tip off at 4:15 p.m.
Friday Schedule
Sanders Memorial Invitational
Girls Basketball
11 a.m. Aztec vs. Durango *
12:45 p.m. Shiprock vs. Newcomb *
4:15 p.m. Volcano Vista vs. Navajo Prep
7:45 p.m. Window Rock vs. Farmington
* Games to be played in FHS Auxiliary Gym
Senior Kameron Dale led the way with 10 points for Navajo Prep, and junior Leilani Wood had a strong outing, scoring all six of her points in the second quarter. Navajo Prep has now won two straight games.
The two-time defending Class 3A state champions took advantage of poor Durango shooting in the first half; the Demons converted only four of 14 field goal attempts before halftime.
The Eagles' defense forced seven turnovers in the second half, even as the Demons closed the gap in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 31-31 with 3:30 remaining.
Led by Claire Goodwin’s game-high 15 points, Durango had several chances to claim the lead in the final minutes but missed a pair of jump shots and then resorted to fouling to stop the clock. Durango committed eight personal fouls in the fourth quarter, four of which sent Navajo Prep to the free-throw line.
Dale connected on a pair of free throws with 19.3 seconds left to seal the victory for the Eagles. Durango had a chance to tie the game on the final possession, but Navajo Prep junior Nataya Serrano intercepted a cross-court pass just before the final buzzer sounded.
Durango (0-3) will look to win its first game of the Sanders Invitational when it faces Aztec in a consolation-round clash Friday at 11 a.m.
Three players scored in double figures for the Volcano Vista High School girls basketball team as the Hawks rolled to a 55-21 rout over Aztec in the first round of the 2025 Marv Sanders Memorial Girls Basketball Tournament inside the Scorpion Arena at Farmington High on Thursday.
Seniors Mia Zuniga and Jalysa Hines each scored 10 points, matching sophomore Zoey Loretto. Volcano Vista led from start to finish and advanced to a winner’s bracket clash Friday at 4:15 p.m. against Navajo Prep.
The Hawks went on a 13-0 run midway through the first quarter, setting the tone for the contest. Aztec had opportunities to close the gap but committed turnovers on back-to-back possessions in the opening frame, then failed to grab offensive rebounds after missing seven of 10 shots.
Volcano Vista entered the locker room with a 32-14 halftime lead, then expanded it in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 12-1.
The Hawks improved to 2-2 on the season while Aztec fell to 2-1. The Tigers will look to bounce back in a consolation round game Friday at 11 a.m. against Durango.
