At the end of January, Clarkdale-Jerome School athletic director Lynda Chavez was left with two sets of trophies and medals and no one to give them to.
After several Navajo Nation schools pulled out of the Small Schools State Basketball Tournament, forcing its cancellation after nearly 30 years in existence, Chavez needed to come up with a different idea for a two-day home basketball tournament.
“I think this is kind of a way to revive that tournament, because we kept losing teams,” said Lacy Brown, Mingus Rams head girls coach. “She kind of took my lead — I wanted to get midseason tournaments, to get us better by the end of the season.
“I think she realized that other teams like that, too.”
The result, beginning at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 11, marries the lone Navajo school willing to return, Leupp Public School, with Cottonwood Middle School and four Verde Valley Conference teams: Big Park Community School, Beaver Creek School, the girls A team from Mountain View Preparatory Academy and the host Mingus Rams.
“We’re kind of backing out of the end of the season, because the [conference] is the biggest tournament,” Brown said.
The Clarkdale-Jerome Christmas tournament marks the beginning of the season for the Cottonwood Middle School boys team. Its primary challenger will be head coach Rudy Sandoval’s Mingus Rams, which heads into the tournament with the best record in the Verde Valley Conference.
The Lobos are sending just their B girls team because their A team will be playing for the Quad City League title at Mile High Middle School in Prescott.
Their primary battle will be against Big Park, undefeated in conference play heading into a Thursday, Dec. 10, matchup with the Mingus Rams.
Brown’s team comes into the tournament on a downslope after losing Tuesday, Dec. 8, to Mountain View, and dropping three of four games at a Cottonwood Middle School tournament Saturday, Dec. 5.
“It was huge for their confidence,” head girls coach Paul Ventura said after his Ocelots defeated the Mingus Rams, 19-16. “Hopefully … we move into the tournament on a bit of a winning streak.”
For the full tournament schedule, please see the Wednesday, Dec. 9, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
