Holbrook again leads the way for Garfield-Palouse
The Garfield-Palouse girls basketball team is doing its best imitation of the school’s volleyball team. The Vikings won the State B volleyball title last fall, and now the girls basketball team is looking for similar success.
At the heart of it all is the same person: senior Holli Holbrook. After being named the State B Most Valuable Player as a setter on the title-winning volleyball team, the 5-foot-4 senior is leading the Vikings on the basketball court as well.
Heading into Tuesday’s non-league matchup against Potlatch, Holbrook was leading the Whitman County League in scoring and her 19.3 points per game ranked third among all area girls.
But she means much more to her team than just points. As a senior and as the point guard, Holbrook’s job is to control the floor and be a leader, something at which head coach Steve Swinney said she excels.
“She has a tremendous impact on the floor,” Swinney said. “She’s a great leader. The girls all like and respect her and follow her lead.”
Being a setter on the volleyball team has also helped Holbrook step into that leadership role.
“It helped with communication and dealing with teammates,” said Holbrook, who is one of Gar-Pal’s co-captains, along with fellow seniors Monica Boone and Brenda Hershaw.
Holbrook’s scoring average is up nearly five points from last year, something she attributes to off-season work and on her coach’s insistence that she act more selfishly.
That’s an accusation Swinney will admit.
“She’s really an unselfish player,” Swinney said. “She’s too unselfish at times. I have to push her to create shots for herself. She’s such a team player that she gives up the ball more than she should.”
If Holbrook can find the balance between being selfish and being a playmaker, it could determine whether the Vikings basketball team following in the volleyball team’s footsteps. And what an accomplishment that would be.
“It would be great to do well in state,” Holbrook said.
“We won the state championship in volleyball. That would be cool, winning in basketball after winning in volleyball.”