The Bulldogs defeated Northland Prep Academy of Flagstaff 68-59 in a first round Division III state tournament playoff game played Tuesday night in Winslow. The game was much closer than the final score would indicate, with only a two-point difference after three quarters of play. The win improved Winslow’s record to 20-8 and ended Northland Prep’s season at 16-10.
The Spartans started strong and led 17-11 after the first quarter. Winslow came back in the second quarter and tied the game 29-29 at the half. The third quarter was played on equal terms and ended with the Bulldogs holding a 41-39 lead. Winslow started on fire in the fourth and scored the first nine points, which was increased to nearly 20 points before the Spartans cut the margin, but the outcome was never in serious doubt again.
Dalvin Benally led Winslow with 18 points, including 9 in the fourth period rush when the team scored 27. Akkeem Foster was also in double figures with 13 points, all of them in the second half and 7 in the fourth quarter. Savion Fuller added 9.
Clay McDaniel of Northland Prep led all scorers with 25 points, including 15 on five three-pointers. Winslow played him much tougher in the second half as he had 18 of his points in the first half. Colby Bendel and Spencer Timberlake were also in double figures for the Spartans with 10 points each.
Winslow will play Snowflake at 5 p.m. today (Feb. 20) at Payson High School. The Lobos have a 25-3 record that includes a 73-65 win over the Bulldogs.
