Roswell Upends Shiprock in OT

by Joshua Boraz/ Roswell Daily Record

Albuquerque: The No. 3 seed Roswell Lady Coyotes had every chance to lose the game in regulation, then ran away with it in overtime, finishing with a 7-2 flurry and defeating the No. 6 Shiprock Lady Chieftains 54-49. Senior Lady Coyotes point guard Desaray Barraza took command, scoring five of  her 13 points in the overtime session and Roswell out-rebounded the Lady Chieftains 9-2 in the final five minutes to secure the win. Freshman small forward Shanice Steenholdt led all scorers with 20 points and 17 rebounds on 7-for-11 shooting.

"The seniors talked me through it the whole game," said Steenholdt. "I couldn't have done it without my team out there."

Roswell junior Chantale Riddle also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

In the game's final three minutes, each team had the lead twice and a chance to win.

Shiprock junior center Jaime Pioche gave the Lady Chieftains a 42-41 lead late in the game with an acrobatic layup under the basket over Riddle who answered right back with a layup on the other end to reclaim a 43-42 advantage. Shiprock senior small forward Shantel Begay hit a bank shot on the other end with 1:27 remaining to take the lead for the Lady Chieftains 45-44. Lady Coyotes senior center Brittany Thompson, with 48 seconds remaining, hit a bank shot of her own from the free-throw line to once again put Roswell up 46-45. With 30.8 seconds, Courtney Benally dropped a deuce on the Lady Coyotes to make it 47-46 in favor of the Lady Chieftains. Unfazed by the pressure, Steenholdt drained a free throw with 10 seconds left to tie it at 47 and send the game to overtime.

"Coach (Joe) Carp (Carpenter) said we were going to win the tip and score two points," said Barazza. "We didn't want to lose this one, especially because it meant a whole lot to a lot of us. We came out ready to play and ready to score."

Off the overtime tip, Barraza laid in two points to set the wheels in motion for the Lady Coyotes. Barraza then hit two free throws as part of a 7-2 overtime that gave Roswell the win.

"I think we out-executed them in overtime," said Carpenter. "Being on the winning side of it this year, feels a lot better than being on the losing side. In the fourth quarter, we were turning it over and in overtime, we got the momentum."

The only Chieftain to finish in double figures was senior small forward Latricia Barton who finished with 13 points.

Shiprock jumped out to a 9-2 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Benally and Barton. Roswell answered back on a 3-pointer by Barraza as part of a 7-2 run but still trailed 13-10 heading into the second quarter.

Both teams put the clamps down on defense in the second quarter, holding each other scoreless for two-and-a-half minutes. Steenholdt put an end to that with a free throw and then stole the ball on the ensuing Shiprock possession to tie the score at 13. That play ignited a 9-0 run that gave the Lady Coyotes their first lead of the game, 19-13. Finally, loosening the pressure defense, the Coyotes were able to close the half with a 22-16 lead.

The third quarter was tight with both teams trading buckets before Steenholdt hit a turn-around jumper as time expired to give the Coyotes a 34-26 lead heading into the fourth.

That lead evaporated with 3:16 remaining as Barton drained another 3-pointer and stole the ball from Thompson to get possession in a 40-39 game. The Lady Chieftains then went ahead 41-40 on sophomore Mishauna Todacheenie's layup under the basket.

It was sweet redemption for the Lady Coyotes who were bounced from the tourney by Shiprock last season.

Roswell will face No. 2 St. Pius at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday in the final four.

"My team will be ready to meet the challenge," said Carpenter. "Pius is outstanding. This will be David vs. Goliath."

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