Lady Lobos Post 4-2 Record At Winslow Winter ClassicJanuary 2nd, 2008
By Greg Perkins
Playing at the Winslow Winter Classic just prior to the Christmas break, the Lady Lobos of Snowflake picked up four wins against just two losses.
They started the tourney on Thursday, Dec. 20, against one of the best teams in the field, the Lady Hor-nets from Ganado. The defending 3A state champs once again have a solid team, and they handed the Lady Lobos a 79-50 loss.
A nine-point game after the first period was still in reach for Snowflake at the half, as the Lady Lobos trailed by 13. However, a strong third period from the Lady Hornets pretty well put the game out of Snow-flake’s reach.
Snowflake did get nice scoring from three starters as Shaylee Yellowhair led the way with 13 points, followed closely by Sharea Shumway and Nicole Baldwin, each with 12. Brittany Titus netted 8 and Sa-maria Pete, who is coming back from an injury, scored 3 points.
Snowflake 14 15 8 13 50
Ganado 23 13 28 15 79
Having dropped their first game, the Lady Lobos moved to the loser’s side of the bracket where they faced the Lady Broncs from Parker Thursday night.
Both teams played well enough in the opening period to head to the second knotted at 16 apiece. A big second period by the Lady Lobos gave them a seven-point halftime lead, which they increased to 10 head-ing to the fourth. In the final eight minutes they were able to hold off Parker and secure their first win of the tournament, 67-61.
Yellowhair again led the offense with 16 points. Shumway hit for 15, Olivia Lewis and Baldwin, 7 each, Arona Spader, 6, Tiffany Brimhall, 5, Shanney Dixon, 3, and Pete and Reagan Godfrey, 2 each.
Snowflake 16 19 21 11 67
Parker 16 12 18 15 61
Returning to Winslow on Friday, Snowflake met up with and dispatched Joseph City, 57-20.
Yellowhair had a career game, scoring 29 points, which included five three-point shots. Her strong per-formance helped turn a nine-point first quarter lead into a 40-12 halftime cushion. The Lady Lobos limited Joseph City to just two points in each of the second and third quarters as they cruised to the big win.
Along with Yellowhair’s 29, Baldwin added 8, Shumway, 7, Godfrey, 4, Titus, 3, and Brimhall, Spader and Dixon, 2 each.
Snowflake 19 21 11 6 57
Joseph City 10 2 2 6 20
Playing off the momentum from their big win earlier in the day the Lady Lobos had another solid out-ing on Friday as they easily defeated Greyhills, 71-44.
A relatively close game at the end of the first period turned into a 30-point halftime lead as the Lady Lobos again played stingy on defense and hit a high percentage of their shots on the offensive end. They slowed a bit in the third period, but regained their stride with a solid fourth to pick up their third straight win in the tournament.
This time it was Baldwin with the hot hand as she poured in 14 points, with 12 coming from behind the arc. Titus netted 13, Yellowhair, 12, Lewis, 7, Godfrey, 6, Shumway, 5, Brimhall and Pete, 4 each, and Alex Merrell, 2.
Snowflake 19 27 6 19 71
Greyhills 12 4 14 14 44
On Saturday, the final day of the tournament, Snowflake defeated Joseph City in a filler game, 40-32, then came from behind to nearly defeat Red Mesa in their sixth and final game.
Against Red Mesa the Lady Lobos trailed by five at the end of the first and saw their deficit grow to 12 at halftime. After making some halftime adjustments, they came out with a strong third quarter and knotted the game at 52-52 heading to the fourth. The final eight minutes stayed close throughout until Red Mesa was able to knock down a shot with seven seconds remaining to get the 70-68 win.
“They had a girl who just hit everything she threw up, even banking in several of her shots. At the end she was able to get the ball and once again, her shot went in and we lost by two,” said Coach Don Godfrey. “In this game we did find out that if we aren’t hitting from the outside, we can have success by taking the ball inside, which is how we caught them in the second half.
“Overall we played six games and learned a lot about our team. Everyone saw playing time, and we faced a couple of good teams that will help us prepare for the state tournament down the road. Now we will start the new year with four straight home games, which will be nice.”
Baldwin had another solid performance against Red Mesa, scoring 23 points. Titus added 17, Spader and Shumway, 10 each, Yellowhair, 6, and Godfrey, 2.
Snowflake 13 15 14 16 68
Red Mesa 18 22 12 18 70
Heading into conference play the Lady Lobos have posted an overall mark of 10-7. They will start their home stand against Round Valley on Friday, Jan. 4. On Tuesday, Jan. 8, they will host Alchesay, followed by Show Low on Friday, Jan. 11, and they will step out of the conference to host Globe on Saturday, Jan. 12.
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