The Lady Lobos returned from their holiday break in fine fashion as they posted a 53-35 win over visiting Payson last Friday, their second consecutive East region win. The Snowflake squad had beaten Winslow 66-60 in overtime prior to Christmas in the final game of 2016.
Elle Flake played well in the Winslow contest and carried that momentum over to the Payson game, where she led the team in scoring with 12 points. Emily Ballard and Nikita Olms scored 8 each; Shanae Stratton, 7; Madison Butler and Camaria Reidhead, 6 each; and Breklee Tanner and Kaylee Coplan, 3 each.
On Saturday the Lobos were home once again, but this time they came up short in a 41-33 loss to Monument Valley. Snowflake struggled to score in the first and third periods, netting just six points in each. That slow offensive start to each half saw them outscored by 25 points in those two periods combined. Their defense played well in the second and fourth quarters, limiting the Lady Mustangs to just two points in each of those quarters, but they couldn’t overcome their slow starts despite good defense in the final eight minutes.
Ballard led the way in scoring with 10 points. Flake added 8; Olms, 7; Stratton, 4; and Butler and Tanner, 2 each. The Lobos were cold from behind the arc, making just one of 14 attempts, but did connect on 4 of 7 free throws.
With the weekend split the Lobos moved their season record to 11-8. They are 3-5 in power point contests, which ranked them 20th at the onset of this week.
After playing in Holbrook on Tuesday, they will host Show Low on Friday, Jan. 13. The next day will bring a long road trip to Thatcher, then on Tuesday, Jan. 17, they will play Blue Ridge at Lakeside.
