The Winslow Bulldogs defeated the Chinle Wildcats 68-57 in a semi-finals game in the Arizona State 3A Conference Championship Tournament played at Gila River Arena in Glendale on Friday. The win improved Winslow’s record to 26-6 and was their 15th win in their last 16 games. Chinle ended its season with a 23-8 record and ended its 12 game winning streak.
The Bulldogs will play in the championship game on Monday against the Blue Ridge Yellowjackets. Blue Ridge defeated the Valley Christian Crusaders 59-55 to earn their berth in the championship game.
The Winslow Bulldogs defeated the Florence Gophers, 80-68 in a quarter-finals game on Tuesday to earn a berth in the semifinals. Chinle defeated Wickenburg, 64-55 that day to earn its berth.
Chinle started strong and led 23-16 after the first quarter of play. Winslow started a strong second quarter and quickly took the lead, mostly due to a good defense and getting turnovers. Winslow led 36-33 at the end of the first half. The Bulldogs had a double-digit 54-44 lead going into the final period.
Darius James led the Bulldogs with 20 points. Junior Villanueva with 17 points, Yoann Djassa with 14 points and Zach Wagner with 12 points. Chinle was led by Angelo Lewis with 24 points but Cooper Burbank was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 11 points.
