Neither the boys or the girls basketball teams advanced past the semi-final round of the 3A State Tournament, but that doesn’t take away from the accomplishment of reaching the final four. With both teams advancing through the first three rounds, it marked the first time in school’s history that both programs went to the final four together. The boys have gone the past, with the last time being 10 years ago. The girls were in the title game just three years ago, but this time both teams achieved the goal at the same time. The boys team took the court first in the semifinals and after falling behind by double digits against Coolidge they battled back to a four-point game at the half. Both teams scored well in the third with each putting in twenty points. The final period belonged to Coolidge with the Bears outscoring Holbrook by six to advance to the title game with a 10-point win. Coolidge lost to top seeded Valley Christian in the championship game on Saturday. The Lady Roadrunners were up next and fell behind to the Falcons early, eventually trailing by eight at the half. In the third period Holbrook made a run cutting the lead to just a single point before Alchesay hit three consecutive three-point shots to effectively end the game. Holbrook was dominated in the final period as the Falcons easily advanced to the title game which they won by two in overtime over Chinle on Saturday evening. “For both teams to make the final four in the same year is an achievement. They can all be proud of (something) that has never been done in Holbrook before. Both programs were also honored during the title game by receiving the 3A Conference Basketball Sportsmanship award voted on by AIA referees. While this isn’t the award we were both looking for, it justifies that our teams can do things the right way and still have winning programs. Our basketball programs have overcome so much this year with multiple players out of both programs since January, and we were both still able to advance to the final weekend. That in itself shows the level of value of both basketball programs,” stated girls coach Greg Perkins. “Speaking for Delmar Johnson, I know we are both extremely proud of what the boys and girls on our respective teams have accomplished this year. We have great kids with high character and strong work ethics. That all translated into high levels of success this year,” Perkins added. The boys finished the season with an overall record of 25-5. The Lady Roadrunners finished with an overall mark of 22-8.
