Holbrook split their two games played at home last week. Tuesday night they surged past visiting Blue Ridge 56-38. Friday night they dropped a nail-biter to Winslow 59-57.
Tuesday’s game was fairly close after the first frame, with Holbrook on top 10-7. Tyler Tapaha netted 7 in the second, leading the team to a 25-17 halftime lead. Holbrook really put the game out of reach in the third quarter, netting 23 points and allowing the visitors just 6. Tapaha added 13 to his total. Manny Rico, Brady Becenti, and Caleb Cummings each had treys in the period. Blue Ridge made a small run in the fourth, but the final outcome was never in doubt.
Tapaha led all scorers with 24 points. Caleb Cummings finished with 9, all from behind the arc. Manny Rico added 8; Jaron Becenti, 6; Travis Bia, 4; and Brady Becenti finished with 3. Holbrook made four of eight free throws and connected on eight triples.
Hosting Winslow in front of a sold-out crowd on Friday night, the Roadrunners and Bulldogs played an epic game. Each team has a 1,000-point player in Holbrook’s Tapaha and Winslow’s Isaac David and neither player disappointed.
Jaron Becenti netted 8 in the first frame and Tapaha drained 5. David scored 6 for Winslow which trailed 16-15. David picked up his scoring in the second with 11 more points, helping Winslow build a 42-29 halftime lead.
Holbrook trimmed 4 points off that lead in the third, with Travis Bia netting 4 for the Birds. In the fourth, Holbrook’s press defense got them back into the game, forcing several Winslow turnovers down the stretch. Tapaha dropped in 11 points, getting Holbrook within 1 point in the final seconds. Winslow then made their only free throw of the game to secure the 2-point win at 59-57. Holbrook had one final chance to hit a contested 3-point shot but it fell short.
Tapaha led Holbrook with 20 points. Jaron Becenti added 18; Travis Bia, 10; Leyton Tom, 4; Caleb Cummings, 2; and Brady Becenti made 2. Holbrook converted 12 of 19 free throws and hit four treys.
Winslow was paced by David’s 19-point outing. Izaak Panana added 17; Jace Smith, 10; Jauden Curtis, 8; Rylan Bia, 3; and Gino Quinones chipped in 2. The Bulldogs made just one of four charity tosses and like Holbrook made four shots from distance.
With the loss, Holbrook drops to 8-3 in regular season games. They are now 16-5 overall and 3-2 in the east region. The Roadrunners entered Friday’s game ranked 12th in the 3A power point rankings. This week they will travel to Show Low on Friday to take on the 28th-ranked Cougars. Saturday will be a long trip to Kayenta to face the struggling 35th-ranked Monument Valley Mustangs. Next Tuesday is a home game with Alchesay.
