PHOENIX — Kourtney Bitselley scored 24 points and hit five 3-pointers, Naomi James added 11 points and No. 1-seeded Window Rock advanced to the 3A state finals with a 50-42 win over No. 4 Alchesay on Friday night.

“I know Alchesay always has the big crowd, so that was tough to overcome," said Bitselley, who converted nine of her 13 shots. "But we just blocked them out and focused on each other.”

More than 4,800 fans attended the semifinal at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. 

The teams were tied 32-32 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Fighting Scouts (21-9, 7-5 3A North) outscored their rival 18-10 over the final eight minutes to seal the deal.

“These girls played so hard,” Window Rock coach Gabrielle Whitney said. “They deserved it. But it’s not over yet. We still have one game tomorrow.”

The Window Rock defense forced 26 turnovers by Alchesay, which shot just 29.2% on the evening (14-48), including 6 of 15 from beyond the arc. The Fighting Scouts scored 25 points off those turnovers.

Alchesay (22-11, 6-4 3A East) never led in the contest.

Kylie Mansfield scored 17 points off 5 of 15 shooting, including five 3-pointers for the Falcons.

Window Rock awaits the winner of the No. 3 Yuma Catholic-No. 2 Page game, with the 3A finals set for Saturday, Feb. 28, at 1:30 p.m.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.