In 1986, when Lori Piestewa was seven years old, her softball team made it to the Tuba City Little League softball championships. The day before the game, she was practicing ground balls while playing shortstop and a softball hit her in the face, breaking her nose. 

Her family insisted she sit out the championship game and recover, however, Piestewa decided to play. 

That determination was apparent during this year’s games, the annual tournament that honors her courageous life and legacy. Piestewa was a U.S. Army soldier in 2003 when she died in the Iraq War. The Hopi mother was only 23 and was the first Native woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military. 

Once known as the Grand Canyon State Games, the tournament changed its name in 2003 to the Lori Piestewa National Native American Games, which celebrated its 22nd year this July, showcasing the brightest rising athletes from Indian Country. 

This year’s tournament was held at the Arizona Athletic Grounds, starting on July 11, and featured several basketball and baseball teams from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Throughout the tournament, the superstar athletes from SRPMIC proved they were primed for success at the next level as the Community brought home championship victories in both basketball and baseball. 

Basketball

This year, if you wanted to win it all, you had to battle against Jacob Smith and his teammates from Fort McDowell (FMD). Their mighty defense, combined with their team-oriented, fast-paced offense, allowed them to easily cruise to victories on Friday and Saturday in the boys’ varsity division.

Smith and company went 3-0 in pool play; however, they had to defeat a fellow SRPMIC team The River, 42-32, during Sunday’s playoff semifinal. They defeated Whitehillz 72-41 and advanced to the championship game, where it would be an Arizona hoops battle as FMD defeated AZ Warriors, 51-32.

Native Clash, the SRPMIC team in the boys sixth-grade division, continued to develop their skillsets on the court while learning how to win and lose as a team. They lost to fierce competition during the tournament, coming up just short against the East Fort Apaches and the NAZ Wolfpack. 

Ba’ag 2028 dominated 4 Corners Elite in their first game, winning 82-8. With Coach Rito Lopez walking the sidelines, Ba’ag 2028 made easy work of most of the competition in the boys JV division. They continued to make it look easy on the hardwood, defeating the RezBro’s 55-39 and AZ Nations, 48-38. In their semi-final game against 1-Ocean, Ba’ag 2028 came up short, losing 36-33. 

In the girls JV division, Natives With Talent (NTW) began dominating the tournament with victories against Lady Hoopsters and Shiprock Lady Dream. They advanced to the semifinals and beat Northern Stars, 48-32. The win advanced NWT into the final four, however, they would come up three points shy of advancing to the finals, losing to the Lady Lobos, 30-27. 

The Salt River Renegades, comprised of girls in the third and fourth grades, showed their finest efforts on the court to many fans who sat and cheered for them from the bleachers. The Lady Braves bested the SR Renegades by six points in their first game; however, they bounced back with ease, defeating the Huskies 14-5. Advancing to the championship game but coming up short, the Stingers stung the SR Renegades, 29-4. 

Baseball

Led by coach Arnold Thomas, the AZ Sons proved why they’re one of the finest baseball teams in the country as they looked to repeat as champions in the single-A (ages 9-12) baseball division.  They defeated the Flagstaff Underdogs, 11-1, and shut out the Outsiders 10-0. In the unofficial “World Series of Salt River,” AZ Sons defeated the Desert Dingers 12-1, which advanced them to Sunday’s championship round. The AZ Sons beat the Chinle Jayhawks, a team known for having many traveling fans, 3-0. Coach Thomas and company proved to be the real greats as they dominated The GOAT in the championship game, 13-3, repeating once again as single-A champions. 

Desert Dingers Coach Whitney Grey ensures that his players representing the SRPMIC showcased textbook baseball fundamentals during this year’s Piestewa games. The Desert Dingers from single-, double-, and triple-A traveled to the AAG for some summertime baseball underneath the scorching 109-degree sun. Thankfully, ample water breaks were provided. 

The single-A Desert Dingers went 1-2 in this year’s Piestewa games. They suffered an early loss to AZ Stronghold, 2-4, but quickly bounced back for an entertaining victory against TC Kingz, 8-5. Officially, the single-A Desert Dingers placed 8th out of 12 single-A teams.  

The double-A Desert Dingers went 3-0 in pool play, making easy work of the Chinle Jayhawks, Sluggerz and Salaadas. In both of their Saturday games during pool play, the Dingers boasted scores of 10-2 and 14-2, proving the heat was not a factor for them on the baseball diamond. They advanced to the championship game against the San Carlos Apaches, but lost in a heartbreaker, 6-4. 

Comprised of high school student-athletes, the triple-A Desert Dingers battled against some of the rising stars in Arizona. In their game against Maricopa, which featured a few athletes from the Ak-Chin Indian Community, the Dingers lost 8-5. Redemption soon followed on Saturday as they defeated the Hopi Hitters 2-0, but lost to the Apache Choppers in an 8-4 slugfest. They advanced to the championship silver round, but lost to Naabaahi B, 7-4. 

The Lori Piestewa games also featured an overnight softball tournament, allowing the next generation of softball superstars to compete under the moonlight and avoid the scorching summer sun. Additionally, the tournament games–unofficially called ‘The P-Games’ by the people–hosted a wrestling competition in which many athletes competed for the gold. 

For the complete list of participating teams and winners, visit the official website at www.piestewagames.com for more information.