Holbrook had a large fan base on hand Saturday evening to see how the Birds would stack up against not only the best team in 3A but possibly one of the best high school teams in the state regardless of classification.
Valley Christian won the 3A state title last season and returns with all five of those starters, including their dynamic point guard Luke Shaw who is predicted by many to be a Division 1 level talent. The Trojans came into the game with a perfect 9-0 regular season mark and are figured to cruise to a second consecutive state title.
The visitors weren’t the only unbeaten team on the floor though. Holbrook entered the game also unbeaten in regular season play with a 5-0 mark. However, early on it was apparent that the Birds were overmatched. Valley Christian drained 32 points in the first period, quickly putting to rest any hopes of a Roadrunner upset. Their point guard Shaw netted 13 in the first period and 26 for the game. Holbrook’s leading scorer this season has been Tyler Tapaha and he did his part with 6 in the opening frame going up against much bigger players. Jaron Becenti added a trey but Holbrook trailed 32-9 after the first eight minutes.
The Birds netted 16 in the second period behind 6 from Chase Salabye and another 6 from Tapaha. The Trojans dropped another 24 points and led 56 to 25 at the half.
Holbrook fared a little better in the second half, but eventually lost the game 90-50. Tapaha led Holbrook in scoring with 16 points. Salabye added 14, Joquin Belin, 8; Jaron Becenti, 5; Caleb Cummings, 3; Xavier Brown, 2; and Anu Pittman netted 2 in the loss. Holbrook made four treys and made all four of their free throw attempts.
The Trojans were led by Shaw who finished with 26 points. As a team, they made 12, 3-point buckets and went seven for nine at the charity stripe.
Holbrook will step back into a more competitive situation throughout January when they play primarily East Region contests beginning with a trip to Blue Ridge on Tuesday. The Yellowjackets are 2-1 in power point contests. Holbrook defeated Blue Ridge in the Round Valley tournament in December by 8 points.
The initial power rankings come out on Tuesday, and Holbrook should be ranked near the top ten at least.
Following the Blue Ridge game Holbrook will host Show Low on Friday, then travel to Kayenta on Saturday taking on Monument Valley. Next Tuesday they host Payson.
