If the final week of the regular season is any indication, Lobo fans may need seatbelts to watch their team play in the state tournament. The Lobos won all three games played last week, but three of their final four games were decided by two points.
The previous week, Snowflake beat Safford by two, which was just a precursor to last week. On Tuesday, Kurt Wood’s extremely deep three-point bomb in the waning minutes at Holbrook helped Snowflake escape with a come from behind, 58-56 win. The Roadrunners held a 10-point halftime lead, but the Lobos slowly chipped away until taking their first lead of the second half in the final seconds on Woods’ shot. Jordan Gardner led the way with 16 points and 11 boards. Travis Flake added 11 points; Gunner Caldwell and Kegan Bjornn, 10 each; Wood, 9; and Tanner Crosby, 2.
Thursday’s game in Show Low came down to the final second before the Lobos could leave the Cougars’ gym with a 52-50 win. The teams battled to a 12-12 tie in the first, then Snowflake pulled ahead by four at the half. That cushion held in place through the third, then Show Low cut it to two in the fourth. Show Low’s Sean Potter nearly ended the Lobos’ unbeaten power point game record with a three-point shot at the buzzer, but the shot was ruled to be after the final horn, leaving Snowflake’s record intact. Caldwell led the way with 17. Wood added 9 with 11 assists; Flake and Gardner, 9 each; Bjornn, 4; and Caedon Eriven and Crosby, 2 each. Show Low’s Sean Potter lead all scorers with 29 points.
Snowflake closed out an impressive regular season at Winslow on Friday night with a somewhat more comfortable 73-65 win over the Bulldogs. The Lobos led by double digits going into the fourth before securing the eight-point win. Caldwell led the way with 16. Gardner added 14, as did Flake, who also had 11 rebounds. Bjornn hit for 12; Crosby, 9; Ervien, 6; and Wood, 2 points and 11 assists.
The Lobos are ranked No. 1 in both the Section IV tournament and the overall Division III state tournament. In order for them to hold on to that top spot, they will need to win what should be a very competitive sectional tournament, which gets underway today (Feb. 11) in Show Low. Snowflake will face No. 4 Blue Ridge at 7 o’clock tonight. With a win the Lobos will see either No. 2 Holbrook or No. 3 Winslow in the championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14, also in Show Low. The Roadrunners and Bulldogs square off at 5:15 p.m. today in Show Low.
