Through the first eight or nine minutes of Thursday night’s game in Winslow, it appeared the Lady Roadrunners might be on the cusp of an upset win over the 15th-ranked Bulldogs. Holbrook came out strong scoring on drives to the hoop and finishing the first period on top 15 to 6. Nikol Gombos netted 6; Alayna Yazzie, 5; and Raelle Yazzie added 4 in the frame. Winslow flipped the tables in the second holding Holbrook to just three points and the two clubs went to the locker rooms tied at 18-18. In the third both played even until a three-point field goal from Shalene Singer gave the Bulldogs a late 33-30 lead going into the fourth. Holbrook’s Lei Smith scored five points early in the fourth period on a pair of free throws and a long-range shot, making the score 38-35 with six minutes left in the game. However, Holbrook failed to score in the final six minutes of the game falling 51-35. Winslow’s freshman Taylin Puhuhefvaya finished Holbrook off with 13 points in the fourth quarter alone. Holbrook was led by Gombos with 11 points. Raelle Yazzie and Alayna Yazzie each had seven; Smith, 5; Deya Guerrero, 3; and Holly Casamero netted 2 in the loss. “I felt we played well early on and really wasn’t too upset with being tied at the half. The third period was close but we can’t go the final six minutes without scoring and expect to win any games we play. Give Winslow credit, they did what they needed to do to secure the win. I felt we did a good job on Shalene, who is a great player, in the second half, but honestly wasn’t expecting their freshman to score as she did, and good for her. This was the third game in a row, that we had a chance to win, we just have to find a way to get over the hump. “The games keep ticking off and we need at least three more wins to make the state tournament. The girls are playing better in stretches, but we need to put together four solid quarters. If we can do that, we should have a chance in each of our remaining eight games. If we struggle with low-scoring quarters it will remain difficult. The bottom line is we have to shoot the ball at a much higher percentage than what we have been doing both from the field and from the free throw line,” stated Coach Greg Perkins. Holbrook will host Snowflake on Tuesday, then welcome in Payson on Friday night. On Saturday they travel to Blue Ridge to begin their second trip through the 3A east region. Holbrook entered this week ranked 25th in the 3A power rankings with a 2-8 regular season record. They are 7-12 overall on the season.
