Holbrook’s Lady Roadrunners fared well at the Valley Christian Holiday Tournament played Dec. 29-31 in Chandler, finishing third in the 12-team tournament. They compiled a 4-1 record along the way, with their only setback being a two-point loss to top ranked and tournament host Valley Christian in pool play. The Roadrunners opened pool play on Monday against once beaten San Carlos and after holding a four-point lead at half, clamped down on defense in the second half to build as much as a 23-point lead. With several younger players in the game late in the fourth, Holbrook relinquished the majority of that lead, but went on to win the game 54-49. Teyah Goldtooth led the way with 19 points. Summer Olney added 10, and Cheyenne Lester and Rochelle Nez, 9 each. “We played well, especially in the second half. They are a team we could potentially see in the state tournament, so it was good to see how they played,” said Coach Greg Perkins. “Our young girls found out what is expected of them at the varsity level, and gained valuable experience in this game.” Holbrook faced Tempe on Monday night and jumped on the Lady Buffalos early, building a 20-2 first period lead. The Roadrunners led 45-3 at the half and cruised to the 65-10 victory. Goldtooth led 11 Holbrook players in scoring with 11 points. Quanyyah Lester added 9 and Alishea Kee, 8. “They looked like a good team, but you could tell they haven’t seen the kind of defense we play and they struggled against it,” said the coach. Tuesday morning the Holbrook squad played sluggish in a 44-34 win over Cactus. The Birds started OK, leading 12-4 at the end of the first, but just couldn’t get into a flow against the 2-3 zone played by Cactus. “We shot the ball poorly and really couldn’t get anything working on offense. Fortunately, our defense also caused them problems and we were able to get an ugly win,” said Coach Perkins. Quanyyah Lester led the team with 13 and Cheyenne Lester added 10. Tuesday night’s game was the biggest of the tournament. Facing top ranked and unbeaten Valley Christian, Holbrook played its best game of the season to date. Goldtooth’s two three-point shots and six in the paint from Nez paced the Birds to a 14-13 first period lead. Nez took over for Holbrook in the second, scoring 15 of her game high 28 points in the frame to help the Birds keep pace with the Trojans, tying the game at 34-34 at the half. In the third Holbrook built a five-point lead thanks to three-point shots from Dishie Kinlicheenie and Goldtooth. In the fourth Valley Christian battled back, erasing Holbrook’s lead and tying the game with less than a minute left. While attempting to hold the ball for the final shot, the Birds were called for a blocking foul away from the ball, giving the ball back to the home team. Valley Christian’s Megan Timmer drove in from the left wing and hit the game winner with three seconds left on the clock to push the final score to 58-56. Nez paced all scorers with 28 points. Goldtooth added 15; Quanyyah Lester and Dishie Kinlicheenie, 5 each; Ariyanna Pratt, 3; and Cheyenne Lester, 2. “This was a great game to be a part of. The girls played hard and played well, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Summer and Cheyenne really caused them problems with their ball pressure. We also did a solid job of running at their three-point shooters,” said the coach. “I thought Dishie and Summer also did a good job of getting the ball to Rochelle, who just had a phenomenal game, which I hope will give her confidence going forward. She played the way we need her to play the rest of the way. We had some costly turnovers, but caused several for them as well. “ With the loss on Tuesday night Holbrook faced Maricopa for third place on Wednesday morning. The Lady Rams are a good Division II team and came in with only two losses, but the Birds handed them their third, a hard fought 63-59 final outcome. Holbrook trailed by two after the first, but led 40-30 after a strong second period. Maricopa battled back late, but good offensive execution in the final minutes secured the four-point win for the Birds. Cheyenne Lester led in scoring with 15. Nez added 14 and Olney hit for 9. “Rochelle and Teyah were named to the all tourney team, and rightly so, but I felt Cheyenne and Summer were just as deserving. While those two may not score as many points, what they do for us on defense and the way Summer runs the offense really benefits this team,” said Coach Perkins. “Also I thought Dishie really stepped up her game at this tournament. Quannyyah hit some big shots as well and Ariyana continues to work hard. Our younger girls also gave us some good minutes. Now we have to put it all together to make a solid run through January to get us into a position for the state tournament.” Holbrook headed into this week with an overall mark of 11-5. The Roadrunners were ranked 19th in the power point rankings with a 3-2 record. After playing in Snowflake on Tuesday night, they will host Round Valley on Thursday, Jan. 8, and welcome in second ranked Page on Saturday, Jan. 10. Two of Holbrook’s five losses have come against Page.