20 miles west of the New Mexico border, and just south of I-40, is Sanders, Arizona. Sanders is an unincorporated community in Apache County- a place so small that in the one-mile stretch between the highway and the turn-in for the school, the only buildings you pass include a gas station, the post office, and the fire station. There are no stop lights- perhaps a metaphor for a local girls basketball team that can't be stopped as of late.

Valley, the lone high school in Sanders, is situated on the Navajo Reservation, with a total enrollment around 200 students. The school's enrollment currently places them in the Arizona Interscholastic Associations' 2A division for athletics, but the Pirates girls basketball team finished 2016-2017 tied for Maxpreps' #10 ranking in Arizona- ahead of schools like 6A runner up Millennium (12), Chandler (15), Arcadia (18) and Mountain Pointe (19).

The Valley High School Lady Pirates appeared in their third consecutive State Championship back in February, winning the title for the second year in a row by defeating Leading Edge Academy, 70-39. LEA was formerly part of the Canyon Athletic Association, where they were five-time defending champions, and in their first season in the AIA, the LEA Spartans won 30 games by an average of 43 points per contest. LEA head coach Erik Gray couldn't help but be impressed with the play of Valley, “The level of competition was significantly better than anything we’d faced,” Gray said.

The Pirates buried the Spartans early, scoring 27 in the first quarter alone on the way to a 31-point win. “I knew they could shoot, but I wasn’t expecting them to shoot as well as they did against us,” added Gray.

The Pirates finished the 2016-2017 season with an overall record of 26-2, and were undefeated in their region at 13-0.

For the students at Valley High School, basketball isn’t just a sport; It’s a way of life. For many, basketball is embedded in their lives from a young age. Most students have parents and siblings who also played on the basketball team at Valley, so they grew up going to games and supporting the team.

“When I first walked, it was when I walked towards the basketball goal,” sophomore Valiyah Yazzie said. “Those little ones? Yeah, that was my first time walking.” Yazzie’s deep passion and desire to play, along with her natural talent, have landed her the opportunity to go to Australia over the summer and represent Arizona for basketball. She has also been nominated as a finalist for Arizona’s Small School Player of the Year. Her dream is to play basketball at Arizona State University.

Although the town is very small, the basketball team receives an enormous outpouring of support from the community as these girls chase their dreams. Their semifinal game against Alchesay, tickets were completely sold out. “Native Americans are very big fans of basketball,” said senior Taniah Thompson. “People were standing, and I don’t think it gets credited enough how much passion the Native Americans have for basketball.”

Tilda Hubble, a junior on the girls’ basketball team, has a sister that teaches at the local elementary school. She had her class write letters to their favorite players and delivered them to the team at their last practice before the championship game.

“Just getting those letters reassured us that we could do it,” Hubble said. “We kind of felt doubt inside of us, but those kids showed us to not give up, be strong, believe in ourselves. That just really touched our hearts.”

Many of those same students made the trip to Prescott to see Valley play, and Taniah Thompson said that gave the team all the motivation they needed. “A lot of them said they wanted to meet us after we won the championship, so I think that was our motive. To bring home the gold ball for them.”

Nearly all of the faculty and staff at Valley High grew up in Sanders, and graduated from there as well. Many played on the basketball team, including Coach Dorothy Mitchell. Not only did Mitchell play for Valley during her time as a student, she has had a hand in coaching the team for the last 15 years.

Last season was Mitchell’s first season in the head coaching role, and she led the girls to a 29-1 overall, and 12-0 in their conference. The girls defeated Rock Point High School 77-40 to win the 2016 Division V title.

Tania Thompson spoke highly about Mitchell and how she has helped the team. “When I think of Coach Mitchell, I get butterflies inside because it’s a good feeling that I was coached my last year by what I think is the best coach.”

Last season, Thompson served as team manager after suffering an injury that kept her sidelined. “For my first year of being back on the court again, I’m very proud that I got to wear Pirates across my chest and had the honor to play and be coached alongside Coach Mitchell.”

Dorothy Mitchell feels Valley's biggest improvement throughout the season was coming together to play as one, citing changes that the players experienced prior to the season that they struggled with at first. “We had to work on that trust issue, communication and just being a team, changing the ‘I’ to “we’,” Mitchell said.

Freshman Nizhoni James feels that Valley has the potential to take this momentum and compete with lot of the state's bigger schools. “Playing bigger schools would give us more competition,” James said. “I’m pretty sure we could hang with them and be up there with them. I’m pretty sure if we played them we could pull off the win.” Jones isn't just dreaming. The Pirates 2016-2017 win total includes victories over 5A schools Apollo and Ironwood.

Jones, and others on the team feel that because they grew up playing “Rezball," that gives could them the advantage over teams that aren't used to the high-tempo ball that continually pushes the pace and incorporated a lot of three-point shooting.

“It’s an up-tempo style of basketball,” Teddy Goodluck III said. Goodluck III was a member of the team when he was in high school and went on to continue playing at Eastern Arizona College. He has now returned to teach at Valley High School, and is the boys coach at the middle school. “You’re not allowing the defense to really get back on defense. You’re trying to score as soon as possible.”

Despite their stellar accomplishments, the athletes at Valley do not get the recognition and attention they would receive if they were a larger school. After winning back-to-back championships, the administrators hope to have the clout to recommend some changes that might help bring additional attention to their accomplishments, and in turn, help some of their star players get onto college radars.

Mary Lynch, a current administrator at Valley High School who was on the team from 1978-1982, said that these athletes earned the right to play in the bigger arenas down in the Valley. She spoke of the community’s unhappiness with the AIA to hold the two small school championship games at the Prescott Valley Events Center. “Basically, they feel like they’re getting ripped off,” Lynch said. “They want them to go to Glendale. They want them to go to that bigger arena, and they deserve it.”

The question has been raised regarding whether or not the athletes from smaller schools such as Valley would receive more attention from college recruiters if they had the opportunity to play the championship game in the Valley. Every single girl on Valley's team feels that they would have better opportunities to receive scholarships if their state title game was held in Glendale.

Part of the reason the students believe this is that because they on the Navajo reservation, their location provides unique challenges. Some are bussed to Valley from Oak Springs, which is nearly 25 miles away. There is no post-practice activity bus, so they must find their own transportation home. Additionally, some are located in a remote area which makes it hard for many to get internet service at their homes. Many only have internet access at school.

Cherelle Speen, a senior who is being recruited, and the former quarterback of Valley's football team, talked about her personal struggles. “Being in a secluded area, at my house we can’t get internet. The only way I can get internet is my phone, but it’s very slow at my house and I barely receive a text message,” Speen said. “It’s hard to communicate with all of the coaches out there trying to get in contact with me.”

Speen’s day at school is packed, as she is in NHS and serves as both the Senior Class and Student Body President. She has been offered by Cowley Community College in Kansas, but is choosing to keep her options open. She said the support she received from the community is what has inspired her throughout her journey.

“Little kids, they say they look up to you,” Speen said. “When they say they look up to you, as a person you want to be better and do better for them so that they can push their limits, as well. I think that makes me better and us better as a team.”

Heading into 2017-2018, even with the loss of Speen, the young group is eager to get back on the court and show the state what they’re made of. Speen is one of five departing seniors, but is only starter that will not return next season. Those returning to the team carry lofty expectations to not only continue Vally's success, but to live up to the hype generated by their undefeated, record-setting run together in middle school.

Valley's success isn’t just relegated to the basketball court. Since Verlynn Goldtooth became the school's principal two years ago, there has been a tremendous push to be successful in the classroom. “It would be one of my goals to have our athletics department right up there with the same caliber of our academics,” Goldtooth said. Her primary goal is for former students to return in the future with graduation announcements from colleges and universities.

Athletic Director Rick Krause says the focus on academics has improved the way the girls play on the court. “We’re also really turning things around academically at the school,” Krause said. “Eligibility has been a lot tighter this year. The kids are responding to that, they’re being held accountable, and they played really well.”

Sanders celebrated Valley's championship win with a parade last Saturday. Following the parade, the girls’ basketball team served food for the community to thank them for the support. The main topic of conversation in Sanders, at the parade and every day since has likely been whether the Lady Pirates can make it a three-peat. “They know they have a lot on their plates next season,” Goldtooth said.