Shiprock edges Bloomfield 55-54 at Bobcat Gym; Marquez's free throw seals semifinal

In an evenly matched contest that saw the score tied in the final seconds amid a roar of chants, senior Iilyas Marquez delivered the decisive free throw to secure a 55-54 victory for the Shiprock High School boys basketball team. The game, played at Bobcat Gym in Bloomfield on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, left the Chieftains with a 13-15 overall mark and avenged two earlier losses to the Bobcats.

The finish unfolded in rapid sequence. With 30 seconds left, Shiprock junior Kaden Lapahie sank two free throws to push the Chieftains ahead 54-51. Bloomfield sophomore Devon Johnhat drilled a corner 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to tie the game at 54-54. In the final seconds, Marquez — a senior — stepped to the line and converted the game-winning free throw that produced the 55-54 final.

Shiprock battled back after a first half that featured turnovers and hot shooting. The teams traded blows early; Shiprock capitalized on four Bloomfield turnovers to knot the score at 21 in the first half, but Bloomfield closed the half on a run and led 35-32 at intermission after 3-pointers by Harrison and Morris. Shiprock shot just 33 percent from the field for the game while the Bobcats shot 66 percent.

The second half saw Shiprock claw back. Early in the third, Lapahie hit a free throw and senior Jayden Dooline converted a layup to tie the game 37-37. Junior Ashton Keith scored four points inside midway through the period to give Shiprock a 39-37 lead, and the Chieftains took a 41-39 advantage into the fourth quarter after a late third-quarter bucket. Keith finished as Shiprock’s leading scorer with 13 points.

The fourth quarter was marked by counterpunching from behind the arc. Every Shiprock bucket drew a Bloomfield 3-pointer, and Bloomfield junior Marcus Garcia knocked down back-to-back triples to put the Bobcats up 48-45. Shiprock trailed by four when senior Kaydin Nelson picked up his third foul and Morris drew his fourth, but key rebounds helped Shiprock reclaim a 52-51 lead late before Lapahie’s free throws and Johnhat’s tying 3 sent the game to its final play.

Shiprock head coach Larenson Henderson credited composure and free-throw shooting for the win. “The clutch shot and the win earns Gallup a spot in the District 1-4A championship game on Saturday.” The victory caps a turnaround for the Chieftains, who began the season 2-5 and finished third in the district with a 6-4 record.