Rezbombers advance to NABI title game with 50-41 over Legendary Elite

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Jul 18, 2026 | Basketball |

PHOENIX

Behind a collective effort, the Rezbombers girls team reached the finals of the Native American Basketball Invitational for the third consecutive year.

The Arizona-based team, which has a slew of New Mexico players, overcame a six-point deficit midway through the second half and advanced with 50-41 win over Oklahoma’s Legendary Elite on Friday night at Phoenix College in a rematch of last year’s title game.

“We just picked up our energy,” said Rezbomber guard Kjani “BamBam” Anitielu, who had the hot hand in the opening half. “I know that people can tell when our body language looks bad and when our attitude gets down, so we needed to make a quick change with our tone.”

Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Rezbomber guard Kjani Anitielu looks to score a basket on Legendary Elite player Kyli Truss during Friday’s NABI semifinal game at Phoenix College on Friday night. Anitielu finished with a game-high 16 points, which included 13 in the opening half.

That change helped fuel a 17-2 run in the last 10 minutes of the contest as the Rezbombers received a game-high 16 points from Anitielu, who graduated from Farmington High. Sandia High underclassman Kaiyah Benally added a dozen points while Kirtland Central’s Allyson Tsosie chipped in nine.

“I feel like we were very lackadaisical, and the energy was gone,” Rezbombers head coach Brian Kaye said. “Honestly, they were playing like we were down by double digits, and we did what we could to get them to respond for them to want the game.”

The Rezbomber coach credited his team for stepping it up on the defensive end as Legendary Elite took a 39-33 advantage on a 3-point shot from Kyli Truss with 10:41 left in the game.

The Oklahoma-based team were led by post Joscelyn Stomper and Lilly Lossiah as they both players finished with 10 points apiece with Lossiah hitting three treys.

With the momentum, it looked like Legendary Elite was going to avenge its NABI title loss from last year, but down the stretch they turned over the ball five time and missed six shots while making 2-of-4 free throws.

In the midst of that comeback, Kaye received news that his Rezbombers boys squad had to forfeit its Elite Eight game at another gym in Phoenix for using an ineligible player.

“Honestly, with about five minutes left in the game my son told me the whole commotion that was going on at the other gym and I was trying to deal with that,” he said. “But blessed my daughters’ heart. This is the reason why I tell people that we’re one of the best duos coaching the game. As I got distracted, we were down by four and she was the one who made the adjustments and got the girls on board.”

Rezbombers assistant coach Keeli Kaye said the difference came down to exploiting the teams’ guard play as they found openings in Legendary Elite’s defense.

“I really trusted BamBam and Kaiyah about attacking the basket,” Keeli said. “They attacked the basket, and I told the girls to play defense and get one stop at a time.

“Mimi (McAllister) did a good job of denying the ball to Jos, their big,” she added. “The girls rebounded and boxed out and they closed it out.”

The Rezbombers will be seeking its fourth NABI title in five years in today’s championship game against Native Soldiers that is scheduled at 1 p.m. at Phoenix College. In the other semifinal on Friday night, the Florida-based team advanced with a 42-37 win over 509 Road Warriors.

Get instant access to this story by purchasing one of our many e-edition subscriptions HERE at our Navajo Times Store.