The Lady Roadrunners went 3-3 through six games played at the Round Ball tournament hosted by Round Valley Thursday through Saturday. The team finished fourth in the 14-team field.
Holbrook opened the tournament on Thursday with an 8-point win over Fort Thomas. Despite a slow start with only 6 first quarter points, 3-point shots from Bailey Williams, Ariel Begay and Ava Mann, all in the second quarter helped them fight their way back to a 21-21 tie at the half.
Two more treys from Ava Mann in the third, along with 1 from Camesha Bahe, and 4 points by Williams helped Holbrook build a 9-point lead going into the final quarter. In the fourth, Williams scored all but 2 of Holbrook’s points, netting 11 in eight minutes to seal the 49-41 win. Williams ended with a game high 19 points. Mann added 9.
Holbrook’s second pool game came late Thursday night against a good Joseph City team. Another slow start found Holbrook trailing 13-5 after the first quarter. From that point they outscored the Wildcats the rest of the way, but were never able to get closer than 5 points. Channing Harrington found her shooting stroke with five treys for her team high 17 points in the loss.
Holbrook opened bracket play on Friday vs Many Farms. The game was knotted at 12-12 after the first quarter, and Holbrook held a 27-25 lead at the half. Harrington and Williams paced Holbrook’s team with 22 of the team’s 27 first half points.
In the second half Holbrook picked up their play. They outscored the Lobos by 10 points in the half to win the game 61-49. Williams led all scorers with a 28-point effort. Harrington added 12.
That win advanced the Birds to the quarterfinal round where they met up with eventual tournament winner Joseph City. Holbrook played well early, holding a 14-13 lead going into the second. Angelica Uranga Williams scored 7 in the first and Harrington added 5. In the second, the teams fought to a 28-28 tie with Angelica adding seven more to her total. The game remained close through the third with the Wildcats holding a 37-36 lead going into the final eight minutes. In the fourth, both teams played good defense but Joseph City held off Holbrook 43-40 to advance to the semi-final round. Angelica Uranga Williams paced Holbrook with 16 points. Williams added 11, and Harrington finished with 10.
Saturday afternoon Holbrook faced off with Blue Ridge for the right to play in the third and fourth place game. Blue Ridge led by three after the first quarter, but Holbrook outscored them by 7 in the second to lead 24-20 at the half. The Lady Birds built a double-digit lead late in the third and early in the fourth, then held off a pesky Yellowjacket team to win 41-35. Williams led with 11, Uranga Williams added 10 and Harrington finished with 9. Holbrook made 11 of 22 free throws.
With the schedule Holbrook had to quickly change uniforms and immediately play Alchesay for third place. The Ladies played well through the first quarter in which Alchesay led 19-17. After that the legs gave out for the Birds. Alchesay pulled out to a 35-26 halftime lead, then limited Holbrook to just 8 second half points in a 64-34 win. Harrington led Holbrook with 8 points, all in the first half. Freshman Ariel Begay hit two treys for 6 points.
Before the tournament, Holbrook hosted Chinle on Monday night in a regular season game. A slow start led to a 20-6 Wildcat lead. Holbrook spent the rest of the night chasing that lead, and despite playing better in the final three quarters they still lost the game 53-34. Harrington led Holbrook in scoring with 8 points. Uranga Williams added 6; Sami Thomas, 5; Maya Francisco, 5; Bahe, 3; Williams, 3; Mann, 2; Mackenzie Kescoli and Darian Kedelty each added 1.
Holbrook finished up the Round Valley tournament playing their 10th game in 11 days. They will have a couple of weeks off for some rest and practice before returning to the court on Jan. 1-3, at the Epic Tourney hosted by Ben Franklin High School. That schedule has not yet been determined. Following the tournament Holbrook will play at Winslow on Jan. 6, host Monument Valley on Jan. 8, and welcome in Snowflake on Jan. 9, in a busy return to the second semester.
Holbrook enters the holiday break with an overall record of 5-8. They are 2-5 in regular season contests.
