By GANNON HANEVOLD
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley High School Girls Basketball team took on the rival Virgin Valley Bulldogs on Friday night, in what was the most highly anticipated game of the year for both valleys. With both teams still in play for the top seed in the Sunrise Division, the rivals were set for a battle.
But before Moapa could get to Friday’s blockbuster, the team first had to get through the Dragons of Del Sol in a home game on Tuesday, January 31.
The Pirates put on a show in the first quarter of this game, as they jumped out to a 25-4 lead. Their high scoring pace of the team’s offense would continue as the game went on.
Moapa Valley went on to score a season high for the game as they drowned the Dragons with a final score of 74-36. The charge was led by Matilda Thompson, Madison Bush, Kinlee Marshall, and Lainey Cornwall, who all scored in double figures. Marshall and Thompson led with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Cornwall and Bush added 14 and 11 themselves.
The win against Del Sol was a momentum builder for the Pirates as they accumulated their third straight win before the rivalry game.
Then came Friday. The Bulldogs came into town with an undefeated record and the confidence from beating the Pirates before in Bulldog territory. However, Moapa searched for retribution.
The first score of the game came from Kinlee Marshall, who picked the pocket of a Bulldog guard for a fastbreak layup.
Two possessions later, Marshall sunk a three to put the Pirate lead at 5-1, a strong start.
Marshall didn’t quit there. She scored once again and eventually led her team to a 13-9 lead after the first period.
As for Virgin Valley Bernice Fiso and Emma Barnum carried the entire load of scoring.
The second quarter started quite slow. There were three scoreless minutes before Virgin Valley broke the silence, making it 13-11. Back to back scores in the post by senior Kaila Enosa, followed by a three from Matilda Thompson completed an 8-0 run to put Moapa up 20-11.
A score for the Bulldogs from Emma Barnum and a contested three by Briana Todd cut the deficit to four.
Then Marshall put a defender in the spin cycle leading to an athletic floater from the key. The score would be 23-18, Pirates, at the half.
The Pirates started the second half with back to back threes by Thompson and Shelbi Walker to give them an 11 point lead. Virgin Valley gradually cut the lead down once more to 29-26. Cornwall scored from deep to give the Pirates a 32-26 advantage going into the final quarter.
Leading 35-26, the Pirates had control midway through the fourth quarter. However, a 9-0 run with five points by Emma Barnum notified the fans that this would once again be a nailbiter.
The score was tied 35-35 with two minutes remaining. Lainey Cornwall made a free throw with just over a minute left to break the tie, 36-35. The Pirates got an offensive rebound after the second foul shot and called timeout with 1:14 on the clock.
Fresh out of the timeout, Shelbi Walker sunk a clutch contested triple from the top of the arc to send the gym into a roar. The Pirates led by four.
A pair of free throws by the Bulldogs cut the lead to two.
Briana Todd, the leading scorer for Virgin Valley fouled out.
With seven seconds left, the official called a foul on Marshall. Taylor Barnum headed to the line. Her first free throw went in and out, but the second fell to make the score 39-38.
Off of the inbounds play from the baseline with five seconds left, Taylor Barnum made a play on the ball underneath the basket. She came up with it with three seconds left. At the buzzer, Barnum made a layup from the right side to win the game for the Bulldogs, 40-39.
Heartbreak was an understatement when describing the mood in the Pirates’ bleachers. Virgin Valley took their first lead of the game with no time left on the clock.
The Pirates hope to rebound from the loss with a pair of games against SECTA and Boulder City this week.
