Basketball Game Preview: Chinle Wildcats vs. Tuba City Warriors

The Chinle Wildcats will face off against the Tuba City Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Chinle will be looking to extend their current 18-game winning streak.

On Tuesday, Chinle beat St. Johns 41-29. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while the Redskins are ranked 40th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Tuba City, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They took their match on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 71-38 victory over Ganado.

Tuba City's win came from a few key players Chinle will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Aubrey Begaye, who went 7 for 10 on her way to 15 points and six boards. That's the most points she has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Natasha Acothley, who went 6 of 9 to rack up 14 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.

Tuba City smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Tuba City is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-11 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points over those games. As for Chinle, they pushed their record up to 28-1 with the win, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season.

Chinle was able to grind out a solid victory over Tuba City in their previous matchup on Saturday, winning 53-42. Does Chinle have another victory up their sleeve, or will Tuba City turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.