Local Round Robin Tournament Boosts Player Development, Cuts Travel Costs

Chinle hosted the annual Southwest Food Excellence Winter Classic on December 26, offering local high school teams multiple games across three gyms without awarding trophies. The event emphasized game experience over championships, with teams playing four or five games over two days to maximize minutes for young players and limit travel expenses.

Chinle boys emerged unofficially as tournament leaders, winning all their matchups by double digits and improving to 11-4 overall for the season. The Wildcats beat Many Farms 88-31, Navajo Prep 68-46, Wingate 66-37, and Hopi 71-40. Chinle coach CJ Woods said the aim was to give players time on the court and to promote broader participation. "The idea was we wanted to get a round robin tournament where it’s less travel demand for teams, it’s less money for teams to spend, but it’s an opportunity to give kids a lot of playing time," he said. "It gave them some practice time and it promoted everybody instead of just having a championship team. I think it was received with a lot of positivity because it gave teams an opportunity to try different lineups and matchups."

Woods credited defensive pressure and ball movement for Chinle’s success. "We missed a lot of shots and what we focused on was putting as much pressure as we could on the ball, sharing the ball with one another, and playing hard all the time," he said. He noted the Wildcats controlled tempo against out of state opponents. "I thought that we did a great job of forcing them to play to our tempo during that game," Woods said. "We also hit some shots, too, because Navajo Prep is a pretty good basketball team. They’re a team that can really get it going so I think it was nice that we hit some shots."

Navajo Prep’s boys squad finished 3-1 in the event and 6-1 overall, bouncing back with wins over Wingate 76-60, Hopi 56-36, and Red Mesa 82-30 after the loss to Chinle. Coach Edward Harrison said defensive lapses cost them against Chinle but praised his team’s effort and growth. "We kept it a one possession game with about two minutes before halftime and I feel like we got a little chaotic on the defensive end and Chinle was just so patient with the basketball," Harrison said. "In the third, we tried to close the gap, but we traded baskets. Going into the fourth, we kept trading baskets and they pulled away." He added, "I was happy with how the guys competed. We just have to continue to grow from this."

Many Farms and Hopi coaches also praised the local format for development and community access. "I like that the tournament is local," Many Farms coach Jeremy Begay said. "It’s a lot of fun and there’s three gyms being used at one time. There’s a lot of competitive teams out there and this is just extra games for my basketball team for development, for confidence, and we’re definitely going to grow from this." Hopi coach Rick Baker said the slate included useful matchups. "We got some good games on Friday, and we played Navajo Prep and I think that was a good game for us," Baker said. "It was an even game with Navajo Prep, but tonight we got outplayed and we were outmatched. It’s tough to operate when you play a good team like Chinle. But we got some good games that we won here."

On the girls side Navajo Prep’s Lady Eagles emerged undefeated and edged host Chinle 41-38 in a late night contest. Navajo Prep built a 24-14 halftime lead and pushed to 29-16 in the third before Chinle mounted a comeback. Coach Rainy Crisp identified quarter to quarter consistency as a work in progress. "Throughout the whole season, we either have a slow start or we have a slow third quarter and that’s something we’re trying to correct," Crisp said. "Those are the two things that we really have to tighten up, but once we have a complete solid four quarters, I think we’re going to be really tough."

Chinle rallied with a 10-0 run late in the third and briefly led early in the fourth, but Navajo Prep seized momentum with a six point stretch and closed out the game. Chinle coach Francine McCurtain said breakdowns on defense and a late deflected inbound pass cost the Wildcats a chance to tie. "They scored in a quick manner," McCurtain said. "We’re not thinking about the next play because when we scored, we didn’t get back in time and they made some easy layups on us. It’s just a lack of communication, and it’s something that we can correct." She added, "We would have if we got the pass directly to our shooter. The girls did their screens like they were supposed to, but when the ball got deflected it slowed the ball down and so when she got the ball the defense was back on her."

For Apache County teams, the Chinle format offered immediate benefits in cost savings, playing time, and local engagement. Coaches said the model could serve as a template for off season tournaments that prioritize athlete development and community access while limiting travel burdens on school budgets and family schedules.