Holbrook pushed their overall regular season record to 19-6 with two hard-fought home-court wins last week. Hosting Alchesay in a packed house on Tuesday night, Holbrook trailed by 2 after the first. Chase Salabye netted 5 in the quarter. Holbrook opened the game up in the second. Tyler Tapaha got rolling with 10 points in the quarter and Salabye added 6 more to his total, helping Holbrook build a 31-20 halftime lead.
Alchesay, which entered the game leading the east region, closed the gap in the third with a 20-point period. Jaron Becenti scored 8 and Tapaha added 6, keeping Holbrook in front by 7 going into the fourth.
In the final frame, the Falcons cut the lead late down to 2 points before a technical foul on their bench personnel led to Holbrook gaining a 4-point advantage and the final outcome at 60-56. Holbrook kept the game close down the stretch by making just four of their nine fourth-quarter free throws.
Tapaha led the way in scoring with 25 points. Salabye played his best game of the season, finishing with 16 points. Becenti added 14. Travis Bia netted 5.
Snowflake came to town on Friday night as one of the teams still in the hunt for the east region title. They defeated Holbrook in Snowflake by 2 on Jan. 10. This time around the final outcome went Holbrook’s way but the game was close.
Holbrook trailed by 8 after the first period. Leyton Tom’s 3-point shot helped them with the 8. In the second, Becenti hit two treys and Tapaha netted 7, helping Holbrook tie the game at 29-29 at the half.
Two more threes from Becenti in the third helped Holbrook hold a 42-40 lead going into the fourth. Down the stretch, Manny Rico hit a big triple and Holbrook was able to pull away inside the final minute to win the game 54-50.
Becenti and Tapaha each led in scoring with 14 apiece. Salabye added 8 as did Bia. Rico added 6, and Tom finished with 3.
Holbrook was ranked 13th prior to the Snowflake win. This week they travel to Alchesay on Tuesday for an afternoon game, and then on Wednesday, they will host Show Low for senior night. Holbrook will most likely finish inside the top 16 in the final rankings and host a first-round state playoff game on Feb. 14 or 18.
The Snowflake win was also head Coach Delmar Johnson’s 200th win of his career, which was celebrated by fans and players following the game.
