McGary’s 17 helps Navajo Prep defeat Tohatchi 44-37

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>TOHATCHI, N.M</em>. — The Navajo Prep Eagles advanced to 16-5 overall on Tuesday night with a road win over the Tohatchi Cougars, 44-37.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles extend their winning streak to 11 games and now have a two game lead in 3A-District 1, behind a 7-0 record thus far.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Altogether, it was an impressive performance from Navajo Prep as they showed the ability to withstand runs and <span style="text-decoration: underline">MULTIPLE</span> buzzer-beaters! Plus it showed the fortitude to stick to the game-plan. Moreover, it highlighted Navajo Prep's deep roster with the Eagles having nine total players, each score a bucket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles were led by [player_tooltip player_id='1218223' first='Lailah' last='McGary'], who finished with a game-high 17 points. The senior shooting-guard was able to get to her spots thanks to her handle and timely off-ball cutting.&nbsp;Furthermore, McGary also stretched the floor with the 3ball but also scored off the dribble after attacking closeouts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1225687' first='Leilani' last='Wood'] chipped in with eight points, providing the Eagles with relief points around the basket. Wood's best play of the night came at the 6:13 mark in the second quarter. The sophomore small-forward was operating in the open-court when she utilized a smooth euro-step to get an AND-1. After completing the 3-point play the old fashioned way, Wood's and Navajo Prep found themselves tied 15-15. It was at that point, that the momentum, really shifted in favor of the Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From there, Navajo Prep outscored Tohatchi 32-22 the rest of the way. That said, Tohatchi was very much still in it. The second of the aforementioned multiple buzzer-beaters, came via Jewelisa Jimmie, who had a tough layup off the bounce to end the second quarter. This actually gave Tohatchi the lead heading into the break 22-21.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the final 16 minutes, the Cougars generated quality looks consistently both inside and outside the arc. Unfortunately, they just could not get their shots to fall. Ultimately, this resulted in the Cougars five game winning streak being snapped.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Regardless of the outcome, Kayanna Capitan maximized her minutes, finishing with a team-high 10 points. The senior forward was a viable option in the Cougars ‘two-man game' due to her combination of size and finesse. After screening at the top of the key, Capitan would either dive to the cup or pop out and knock down jumpers. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='565810' first='WynterRose' last='Sheka'], a lanky point-forward, tallied only six points but was extremely active on both ends of the floor for the Cougars. Defensively, Sheka guarded multiple positions, and came away with multiple steals and blocks. On the flip-side, Sheka was a willing passer who did a good job of creating off the dribble after initiating the offense. In the end, the 5'10” senior totaled five assists on the night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NEXT UP:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Navajo Prep (16-5, 7-0) vs Thoreau (11-10, 3-4) | Feb. 6 | 7 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tohatchi (11-9, 5-2) @ Crownpoint (10-11, 1-5) | Feb. 6 | 7 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->