Snowflake earned two region wins last week, keeping themselves firmly positioned as the No. 2 ranked team in 3A basketball. Hosting Winslow on Thursday night, they played close through the first half but got things rolling in the second half as they cruised to a 56-33 win over the Bulldogs.
Friday night in Holbrook, they came out determined to avenge Holbrook’s win in Snowflake back on Jan. 10. Snowflake came out strong from behind the arc to start the game. They made five 3-point shots in the first quarter and led 24-6 after the first eight minutes. Kenadi Stuart, and Nicole Hipps each hit two from a distance, and Haile Westover added another. Rannel West scored 7 in the paint.
In the second, Stuart added her third trey of the game and Hipps hit 6 more points, helping Snowflake build a commanding 39-14 lead. Holbrook fought back in the second half cutting the lead down to 12 points, but in the end, the Lobos were able to hold off the Roadrunners and win the game 64-46.
Stuart led the team in scoring with 19. Rannel West added 17, and Nicole Hipps finished with 16. Ryah Denhalter added 6, as did Haile Westover. Jayci Ballard and Brynn Kupfer each scored 1 point.
With the two wins the Lobos pushed their overall season record to 23-4. They are 14-3 in regular season games. This week they finish the regular season with two games. Tuesday night they will host Show Low, who beat them by 10 points in their first meeting. Wednesday night they will travel to Blue Ridge.
Snowflake will be in the new Copper or Open Division Tournament when that gets underway on Feb. 11. The Lobos should be hosting a first-round game. If they win in the first two rounds of the Open Tournament, they will remain in that bracket. If they lose in either the first or second round of the Open Tournament, they will return to the 3A state championship bracket.
The first three rounds of the 3A state tournament will be played at higher-seeded sites. Prescott is no longer a hosting site for state basketball games.
