Basketball Game Preview: Navajo Pine Warriors vs. Zuni Thunderbirds

The Navajo Pine Warriors will challenge the Zuni Thunderbirds at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

On Tuesday, Navajo Pine was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 57-51 to Native American Community Academy/Evangel Christian Academy.

Despite the loss, Navajo Pine got top-tier performance from Dayshaun Chee, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine boards. The dominant performance gave Chee a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Anthony Sandoval, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine boards.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Zuni, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. In a tight game that could have gone either way, they made off with a 67-66 win over Cottonwood Classical Prep.

Navajo Pine's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Zuni, they now have a winning record of 3-2.

Navajo Pine was able to grind out a solid victory over Zuni in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 52-40. Will Navajo Pine repeat their success, or does Zuni have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.