The Tohatchi Cougars pushed their score all the way to 61 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 81-61 walloping at the hands of Navajo Prep. It was the first time this season that Tohatchi let down their fans at home.
When it comes to explaining why Tohatchi lost, one person who can't be blamed is Talan Long. Despite the final result, he scored 20 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Josh Dawes, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds.
Leading Navajo Prep to victory were Xavier Nez and Jude Thomas. Nez scored 21 points along with six rebounds and five steals, while Thomas scored 27 points along with seven steals and six assists. Nez is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jakobie Thomas, who scored 11 points along with two steals.
Tohatchi's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-7. As for Navajo Prep, the win was the eighth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-4.
Tohatchi will head out on the road to take on Crownpoint at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Tohatchi has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 514 points over their last seven contests. As for Navajo Prep, they will be playing at home against Thoreau at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Navajo Prep focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 24 on Tuesday.