The Lady Roadrunners turned their first round state tournament bye into a second round win on Friday night in Show Low with a 64-38 victory over Fountain Hills. Fourth seeded Holbrook pulled away in the third period over the No. 20 seeded Falcons and will have faced the fifth seeded Hawks from Tanque Verde on Monday afternoon in Prescott.
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Holbrook jumped out quickly on the Falcons opening up a 15-1 lead in the first few minutes of the game behind some set plays. Madison Chappell netted six, Megan Cummings and Matehya Aberle each had five in the early going.
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Fountain Hills made a late quarter run and closed the period with Holbrook on top 16-10. Holbrook struggled to regain their momentum in the second, but Joycelynn Thomas’ three-point shot and a pair of free throws from Desirae Bain kept Holbrook in front 25-22 at the break.
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The third quarter was the turning point. Holbrook opened the period on a 14-0 run behind treys from Bain, and Cummings, along with offensive put backs by Tristen Ambrose and Aberle. Collectively the team stepped up on the defensive end outscoring Falcon Hills 21-3 in the period to build a commanding 46-25 lead by the end of the third.
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Aberle netted nine more in the fourth as Holbrook went on to win the game comfortably.
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“We started quickly and stalled a bit late in the first period. Once we figured out how to attack their zone we played much better in the third. Also this was our best offensive rebounding game of the season and that needs to continue. Madi, Megan, Matehya and Tristen along with Desirae and Mika are all critical in our success and they all did a good job to help us advance. Our role players will have to do their jobs as well if we want to keep advancing in the state tournament. At this point there are no bad teams. Everyone is capable of winning it all including us,” stated Roadrunner Coach Greg Perkins.
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Aberle led all scorers with a 20-point effort. Cummings and Chappell each added 13, Bain had 8; Ambrose, 4, Thomas, 3; Mika Joe, 2; and Shand Footracer scored her first varsity point on a free throw. Holbrook finished with seven three-point shots and went nine for 13 at the charity stripe.
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Fountain Hills was led by Gabbie Coughlin with 9 points. The Falcons made four three-point field goals and went 12 for 20 at the line.
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With the win Holbrook improved it’s season mark to 24-4. They moved on in the bracket and faced fifth seeded Tanque Verde in Prescott on Monday afternoon for a right to advance to the final four. These two teams met in the championship game of the Chandler Prep Tournament where Holbrook prevailed in a tough contest 46-41.
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If Holbrook can get past the Hawks they will face either top ranked Sabino or No. 8 Chinle in the semi final game on Friday in Phoenix. A loss in the state tournament at any level ends the season.
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