Holbrook boys nip Scouts, girls overpower Roadrunners

FORT DEFIANCE

It was Senior Night on Wednesday for the winter sports athletes at Window Rock High.

Lady Scout post Melisha Nez was one of those players honored and she made the most of it by finishing with a career-best 21 points in a 62-48 win over Holbrook.

“It just kind of happened,” Nez said. “I mean, I felt positive tonight and I felt that I needed to put some points up and do good.”

In the boys’ contest, the eighth-ranked Roadrunners hit 4-of-6 free throws in the last 15 seconds to escape with a come-from-behind 48-45 win.

Holbrook junior Brandon Tapaha spoiled the Scouts’ festive occasion by nailing those freebies at the charity line.

He got fouled with 15.4 seconds near midcourt and that didn’t sit well with Window Rock coach Murray Shirley. Shirley was eventually assessed a technical as Tapaha got his first four trips to the free-throw line.

The Holbrook guard went 1-of-2 both times, with his first one tying the contest at 45-all. His second make gave the Roadrunners the lead for good.

“I tried to take my time, but my first two (trips) I only made one free throw,” Tapaha said.

Due to the technical, Holbrook was given the ball and Tapaha was again fouled with 3.4 seconds and this time he made both as Holbrook took a 48-45 lead.

The Scouts had one final go at it, but the half-court prayer shot from senior Isaiah Begaye rimmed out just as time expired.

“We got lucky on that,” said Holbrook coach Delmar Johnson, whose team improved to 19-4 overall.

Despite its No. 24 ranking, the Scouts (10-10) gave Holbrook all they could handle as the game featured seven ties and four lead changes.

Behind five points from Begaye, Window Rock took a 13-7 lead after one quarter of play.

In the next stanza, Tapaha nailed a pair of treys to get the Roadrunners within 24-21 at the break.

Holbrook took its first lead (29-28) when Tapaha nailed his third trifecta with 5:35 left in the third.

The Roadrunners pushed the lead to as much as four, but Window Rock used a 7-3 lead to gain a 42-40 edge after a 2-point basket by senior Darshane Yazzie with 3:33 left in the fourth.

The game was tied two more times before Tapaha hit some clutch free throws.

“I thought Window Rock played great,” Johnson said. “I have to give them credit for the way they played tonight. They came out and they were feisty. I mean, they got into us.

“It was Senior Night for those guys, and, you know, they didn’t want to lose,” he said. “I thought they played well enough to bother us, so I give Window Rock a lot of credit.”

Tapaha led all scorers as he put in 15 points. The Roadrunners also got a dozen points from Quentin Thomas while Tyler Tapaha, Brandon’s younger brother, added 11.

For Window Rock, Yazzie and Begaye both finished with 12 points. Senior Own Mitchell added eight.

Girls

Following two straight losses, the Lady Scouts evened their record to 11-11 overall with a 14-point win over Holbrook.

“Honestly, we’ve been preparing for Holbrook,” first-year Window Rock coach Gabrielle Whitney said. “We were looking at their record and how they play, and we told the girls this was going to be really tough game.

“(Holbrook coach Greg) Perkins is a great coach and, you know, he’s a legend,” she added. “He has a great program, and he has a great team. We saw them at the Chandler tournament, and they were pretty quick, and they were fast.”

The Roadrunners exhibited those traits, but it was the Scouts’ height and cohesiveness that proved to be the difference in this non-region contest.

“The girls came together and played as one,” Whitney said. “It really showed tonight. They connected and trusted one another and, you know, the communication and chemistry were there.

“It’s fun to see the girls play like that,” she said.

The Window Rock coach added that she was happy with the play of Nez, her senior post player.

“We’ve been really working with her in practice, especially her post moves,” Whitney said. “We keep telling her, ‘Hey you’re quick, you’re fast and you can do these moves.’

“Again, it comes down to that trust,” she said, “teammates trusting one another, and I believe that really helped her.

“Tonight, she was wide open and her hitting her shots is all about confidence,” she added.

After clinging to a 15-12 first quarter lead, the Scouts got nine points from Nez in the second to gain a 28-19 halftime lead.

The home team extended that margin to 48-30 at the end of the third. Midway through the fourth, the Scouts got the largest lead at 60-34 on a 2-point basket from Nez.

In addition to Nez’s 21 points, the Scouts also got 14 points from Robbie Talkalai.

“It was ugly,” Holbrook coach Greg Perkins said of his team’s play. “Ugly is the best way to describe it. Window Rock played really well, and their seniors played very well, especially Talkalai.

“We got a little confused defensively, trying to focus on her too much,” he said. “She’s really good and I thought I could have someone else beat us and (Nez) stepped but overall, I was disappointed in our overall effort, but give Window Rock credit.”

Holbrook was led by senior forward Shand Footracer as she put in 12. Samathay Billie added 10 and Abigayle Nez chipped in nine.

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