The Lady Roadrunners repeated their tournament winning performance over the weekend by taking first place in the top tier diamond bracket of the 80-team Chandler Prep tournament. Holbrook went 4-0 in four games played over three days at two locations in Chandler and Gilbert.
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The Lady Birds first game was an easy win against an overmatched St. Mary’s team. Holbrook led 31-9 at the half, then pretty much duplicated that effort in the second half to win the game 58-19. Madison Chappell led with 12, Desirae Bain had 10, and Megan Cummings and Matehya Aberle each netted 9.
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With the win Holbrook advanced to take on Buckeye Union, which came in ranked 10th in the 4A standings. This game was close from the onset and finished with the Roadrunners outscoring the Hawks 6-0 in overtime to win the game 66-58. Cummings led the way with 16, Chappell had 15, and Tristen Ambrose and Aberle netted 12 each.
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That win moved Holbrook into the semi-final round where they met a familiar foe, Chinle. The two teams had split earlier season meetings with both outcomes very close. Holbrook led this game by four after the first period but trailed by one at the half. The third period was the difference. Holbrook outscored Chinle 15-6 out of the break, then made several free throws in the final period to secure the 53-44 win. Aberle led with 17 points, Talynn Spencer added 11; Chappell, 9; and Ambrose, 7.
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That win moved Holbrook into the championship game on Saturday afternoon against the third ranked team in 3A Tanque Verde. The title game was competitive throughout with neither team having more than a five-point lead in the game. Both teams battled to an 11-11 first period tie. Holbrook got a trio of treys in the second period, two from Bain and one from Joe helping them hold a 24-19 lead at the break. The Roadrunners were held to just seven in the third, but gave up only 10 to the Hawks and still held a three-point lead into the final period.
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In the fourth, Tanque Verde tied the game at 38-38 with three minutes left. Holbrook was then able to make enough free throws down the stretch to secure the five-point win and claim the champion trophy of the large tournament for the second year in a row with a 46-41 outcome.
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Chappell led the team in scoring with 21 points. Bain added 8; Aberle, 6; Spencer, 4; Cummings, 4; and Mika Joe added a three-point shot.
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Spencer and Aberle were each selected to the All Tournament Team. Chappell was named the Tournament MVP.
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“After the first game this was a big tournament for us. The competition was good, we had to battle to overtime against a very good Buckeye team. We played well against a Chinle team that we know very well now. In the final game, Tanque Verde is taller and stronger, and played great defense, but we were solid on defense for most of the game as well. It was a fun chess match between two good teams and the girls played well enough down the stretch to get the job done,” state Roadrunner Coach Greg Perkins.
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“Throughout the tournament different girls stepped up in different games. Everyone saw a lot of playing time in the first game. Against Buckeye the young girls on the bench contributed with defense and enough points to keep us in the lead. In the overtime period we ran some sets perfectly to get the lead, then took care of the ball at the end to win it against a physical team.
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“Chinle was another good game for both teams. My young bench (Joycelynn Thomas, Sam Billie, Abigayle Nez, Talynn Spencer and Terry Nez), who don’t get enough recognition for what they do, was forced into action midway through the second due to heavy foul trouble from the starters, and the bench did great for us. They helped us make up a six-point deficit with their defense and we got enough points at the line from Tristen late in the half to trail by just one. In the second half Matehya had her best half of the season scoring 13 of her team high 17 points with one hustle play after another. Also Talynn hit six of seven free throws to help keep Chinle at bay.
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“The championship game was just an outright battle from start to end. They only had one loss this year, that coming against the top ranked team in 4A, and they were tough with a dominating post player. I thought Matehya and the rest of the team did a solid job defensively against their post. Also overall, we were able to disrupt things they were trying to do. Talynn once again gave us a spark, on both ends of the flooring, taking two charges in the game, along with Tristen who took one for us. Mika and Desirae both had big time three-point shots in the game. Down the stretch, Madison was able to get to the line and took us home from there. She scored a game high 21 points and the rest of the team played tough defense to secure the 46-41 win and the trophy. Now we have to shift focus to January and February. The tournament still showed us our weaknesses where we have to work and it also showed us how to be successful in areas,” Perkins said.
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In conclusion Perkins noted, “The East Region is going to be tough. Winslow also won their tournament bracket and looks scary good. We have to face a top-10 team in Payson on Tuesday (Jan. 8) when we get back to school, then it is the first of what should be two classic match ups with Winslow with the first coming on Jan. 11.”
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