The Lady Roadrunners hadn’t faced an opponent since Dec. 16, but when they welcomed the Show Low Lady Cougars last Friday night, they picked up where they left off with a win. Holbrook netted 18 first quarter points led by Madison Chappell’s seven and a pair of three-point bombs from Twyla Clark. In the second period Rayanna Wauneka dropped in eight points, pacing the home team to a 37-23 halftime lead. Holbrook’s defense battled through a foul filled first half, which resulted in Show Low making 12 of 15 free throw attempts in just the second quarter alone. In the third the defense got better without fouling as the Roadrunners held the Cougars to another seven-point quarter. Ariyanna Pratt scored six in the quarter and Holbrook extended its lead. Elena Smith found the range in the fourth with nine points, helping her team close out the 65-46 win. Chappell led the team in scoring with 16. Pratt added 10; Smith, 9; Wauneka, 8; Clark, 6; Aiyana Gary, Tristen Ambrose and Dakota Dick, 4 each; Alishea Kee, 3; and Sevanah Bitahy, 1. “We traditionally struggle in our first game back after the break, but this time I was pleased with how we played, especially considering how long it had been since we last played,” said Coach Greg Perkins. “Show Low is a much improved team from previous years, but I thought we did a decent job. Ten different girls scored and we were solid defensively.” Saturday’s long trip to face second ranked Page didn’t go quite as well for the ladies. Holbrook struggled to score in the first half. The team had just six points with four minutes left in the half before Smith and Wauneka finally connected on a couple of treys. Holbrook trailed 32-15 at the break, but in the third the Roadrunners wiped away nearly all that deficit. They came out pressing and outscored Page 23-11 in the period, making the score 43-38 heading into the fourth. That comeback took a lot of energy and, unfortunately, the Lady Sand Devils were able to gather themselves and pull away late in the game to win it 73-52. Chappell led in scoring with 11 points. Pratt added 10; Smith, Clark and Wauneka, 8 each; Tyler Pacheco, 5; and Gary, 2. “We struggled with their defense early, but once we settled into the game we got shots we needed to get, we just didn’t make them,” said Coach Perkins. “Had we been able to shoot a decent percentage we could have played a different style of defense and not had to put so much energy into climbing back into the game. “They are ranked number two for a reason, but we proved we can play with them in the third period. We see them again in a couple of weeks, so hopefully we can play better early. Playing them twice, and hosting top ranked Valley Christian this Saturday will certainly help our power point rankings. It sure would be nice to upset one of them, which would really boost our rankings. Those are two teams which will definitely be in the final four and we need to find a way to get past them. “We now have two critical games this week which will go a long way in determining the eventual East Region regular season champion.” After hosting Snowflake on Tuesday night, the Roadrunners will travel to Winslow on Thursday, Jan. 12. Game times are earlier than usual. The junior varsity girls will play at 3 p.m., followed by the varsity girls at 4:30 and the freshmen girls at 6 o’clock. On Saturday, Jan. 14, Holbrook hosts Valley Christian, with games beginning at 1 p.m. at Muñoz Gym.