Three years ago, Tuba City’s Pete Butler bet on himself. 

"During one of my interviews (for the coaching job) I said, 'You know what. I’m your guy. I’m your guy to win a championship. Give it to me,’” Butler said. 

Promise fulfilled. 

Butler raised his arms in triumph Saturday right after the biggest game of the 1-3A season concluded. Tuba City's 59-54 Copper Division championship victory over Snowflake at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum turned into a massive celebration for the team, its community and its history. 

Besides its second seeded opponent, Snowflake also faced a deafening, nearly packed arena mostly rooting for the Tuba City Warriors. But top-ranked Snowflake didn’t buckle under the pressure of the large crowd.

The outcome of the intense match-up wasn’t determined until the very end, when one of the most celebrated freshman in recent Arizona small school ball history, Layla Curtis, grabbed her final rebound and then went to the line with 5.5 seconds left. 

Snowflake’s primary weapon, Ryah Denhalter, received an entry pass after a timeout with 16.2 left and Tuba City leading 56-54. But Denhalter’s left-handed jump hook went off the glass and then the left side of the rim before falling into the hands of Curtis, who was fouled. 

The freshman made the first attempt but missed the second. But as Snowflake gathered the rebound, senior Raquel Lee stole the ball and quickly scored to put a bow on her team’s 28-3 season and send the crowd into a frenzy.

To top off a truly breakout season, Curtis earned MVP game honors after a 16-point performance in 32 minutes.

 Tuba City's Layla Curtis was the only player who played the entire game Saturday, helping her earn the MVP plaque from Arizona Interscholastic Association executive director Dr. Jim Dean. (Jose Garcia photo/AZPreps365) “God,” Curtis responded when asked how she managed to play with such maturity this season. "I just have to give all of my thanks to Him. He kept my nerves calm. And in a big game like this, you are going to need Him by your side.”

There were plenty of big moments in the game, and with Snowflake’s best defender, Tayli Hancock, face guarding Curtis most of the game, Tuba City needed others to contribute.

Sophomore Nakota Tallman hit a couple of big shots, including her team's second to last field goal and a buzzer beating three off the glass just before halftime. 

Tallman somehow got a shot up around one of Snowflake’s low post players to put Tuba City up 53-51 with about 3:30 remaining. In the second quarter, Tuba City trailed by 10 but battled back to set up Tallman’s three to end the first half. 

"I tried to get an open shot and drive, but it wasn’t there,” said Tallman, who scored 14 points and converted six of her 10 shots, about her three. "So I had to do a quick move and take a three. After that shot I felt like it was a big momentum swing. We needed that.”

Tuba City avoided more trouble when senior leader Aubrey Begaye went to the bench with her fourth foul with 4:09 in the game and the team missed 16 of its 32 free throws.

Snowflake had success scoring in the paint (36 points), but Tuba City still willed its way to victory.    

“They never get rattled,” Butler said. "They always keep their composure. They don’t panic. I always tell them, ‘As long as you are within five points, you are good. You can win in the end.’ And we just slowly, slowly did so in the end and finally pulled it off.”

The great high school basketball careers of Denhalter, Hancock, Bryn Kupfer (20 points), and Ranell West came to an end Saturday. 

The quartet helped Snowflake (30-2 this season) win the 3A title last year, its first in 28 years. Tuba City finished its season with a 28-3 record and a 20-game win streak, a first for the program. 

But the 2025-26 squad wasn’t the only Tuba City team that was cheered on by the crowd. The 2001 Tuba City girls and boys and 1976 girls were honored Saturday at Madhouse on McDowell, as they were celebrating their 25th and 50th championship anniversaries. 

Butler, a Tuba City alum, served as an assistant on the 2001 Tuba City boys' team.

"Our community is happy,” Butler said. "That’s all I know. They come out in throngs here. They are just overjoyed themselves. As much as I am overjoyed, the community is too.” 

Snowflake has won 59 games over the past two seasons. (Jose Garcia photo/AZPreps365)