Playing in the Valley Christian Tournament in Chandler at the close of the calendar year the Snowflake Lady Lobos went 2-3, but could have easily turned in a 4-1 performance as two of their losses came in the closing seconds.
In pool play the Lobos fell to Horizon Honors 38-36 on Monday to open the tournament. Snowflake rallied back from five points down late to tie the game only to give up the winning layup to Horizon Honors in the final seconds.
Tori Flake led the team with 8 points in the low scoring game. Tycee Coplan and Melissa Eich both had 7, and Marisa Godfrey added 6. The Lobos attempted 16 three-point shots, but connected on only two of them.
Their second game on Monday was a 49-35 win over Tempe Prep. Snowflake gained control early and maintained that lead throughout the contest. The Lobos were led in scoring by a trio of seniors, with Godfrey netting 15, Kadi Johnson, 14, and Coplan, 10.
On Tuesday Snowflake fell to eventual tournament runner-up Gilbert Christian by a final of 56-44. The Lobos played well and stayed close until the final minutes when the Lady Knights put the game away at the free throw line. Johnson led Snowflake with 14, Godfrey added 11 and Elle Flake had 6. The Lobos had 22 turnovers.
Tuesday’s second game came down to a non-call late in the game. With the Lobos leading Poston Butte inside the final minute, they were holding the ball hoping to draw a foul. Instead, Poston Butte stole the ball from the Lobos with a lot of contact not called and went ahead in the final seconds to win the game 55-53. Godfrey launched 10 three-point attempts and connected on four to lead in scoring with 14 points. Johnson added 13 along with 10 rebounds. Coplan had 12 points and Tori Flake finished with 10.
Finishing with a 1-3 pool play mark the Lobos met up with St. Johns on Wednesday morning for 10th place in the 12-team field. The Lobo defense gave up just four first half points en route to a convincing 47-21 win over the Lady Redskins. Godfrey again led the way with 14 points. Tori Flake added 13 and Elle Flake, 8.
Snowflake headed into January with an overall mark of 7-7 including a 3-1 record in power point contests, ranking the Lobos 17th. After hosting Holbrook on Tuesday, they will host Sedona on Thursday, Jan. 8, then welcome in Show Low on Tuesday, Jan. 13, starting the new year off with a three-game homestand.
