By GANNON HANEVOLD
Moapa Valley Progress
With the pressure of an undefeated record still looming over them, the Moapa Valley High School Girls’ Basketball team had a busy schedule last week in trying to keep that record intact. Games against rival Virgin Valley and cross-division opponent Sunrise Mountain; as well as the second of three preseason tournaments over the weekend; made for an exhausting five days of basketball action.
On Tuesday, the Pirates took on Virgin Valley. The Bulldogs and Pirates are expected to be the top two contenders in the Sunrise division. So the game was sure to be important.
After two early scores from sophomore Kaitlyn Andersen, the Pirates jumped out to a 5-1 lead.
Then the Pirate press began to force turnovers in the backcourt. Three straight steals in just seconds led to scores for Lainey Cornwall and Ashlyn Western and set the tone for what would be a dominant first quarter. The Pirates led 18-4 after eight minutes.
In the second quarter, threes by seniors Shelbi Walker and Macy Morgan grew the lead even further. It would be 30-15 at the half.
Despite a late game comeback attempt by the Bulldogs, the Pirates held onto their firm lead over and would win the game by a final score of 52-42.
Cornwall and Andersen led Moapa in scoring with 17 and 15 respectively.
“We felt like we were in control from the get-go,” said Pirate head coach Stuart Humes. “But in true rivalry fashion the Bulldogs didn’t have much quit. The girls stayed pretty confident and came out and executed.”
To take on a team that was in the state tournament last season and not allow them to lead for 32 minutes is a definite achievement. Humes also described it as a wake-up call. “I think that’s the first time the girls knew how good they could be,” he said. “When the girls get that confidence, they’re pretty tough to stop.”
The second game of the week came at home on Thursday against visiting Sunrise Mountain. The Pirates rolled through the Miners with ease and the final score would be 62-16.
The main story of the game was the Pirates’ performance off the bench, an area that Coach Humes was looking to improve. Emilie Barraza came off the bench for the Pirates to score ten points, including two from the three point line.
“To be able to go out and put a complete effort out there and not see a dip in scoring production, even when our second team is on the floor, is nice to see,” Humes said.
Over the weekend, the girls traveled to Mesquite for their second invitational tournament of the year.
This time, the weekend started with a difficult matchup against the Dixie Flyers, who traveled in from St. George, Utah, for the tournament. The Pirates held a seven point lead at the half. But Dixie came out in the third quarter and were motivated to rally back. They would lead by three going into the final quarter. But the Pirates pulled off a nailbiting victory. They would win by just three, with the score 46-43.
This win sent them to the semifinals of the tournament.
There, it wouldn’t get much easier for Moapa Valley. They would run into Utah powerhouse Panguitch, who has seen plenty of playoff action in recent years in their own state. Ten threes as a team and 18 points from Shelbi Walker helped the Pirates fight off the Bobcats.
After a close first half, the Pirates took advantage of a dominant second half performance to win by a score of 48-39.
This victory sent the team to the tournament championship against Pahrump Valley.
“If you would have told me we’d be in the championship, I would’ve been really excited about that,” Humes said. “To come away with a win against Panguitch, who has been a perennial powerhouse in Utah, was a real confidence booster.”
Against Pahrump, the game was neck and neck from start to finish. Moapa had finally pulled away to carry a 39-33 lead going into the fourth quarter. Then the Trojans caught fire and started a comeback. Leading 43-42 with just seconds on the clock, the Pirates needed a stop. But Pahrump’s Virginia Weir hoisted up a contested three at the buzzer and knocked it in to give the Pirates their first loss of the season.
“The two teams we played earlier were really high powered and took a lot out of us and Pahrump came to play,” Humes said. “It’s kind of hard to keep that momentum going after those first two emotional wins.”
“We didn’t have our usual quick step for loose balls and things like that,” Humes added. “In tournaments, sometimes it’s hard to do what the brain is telling you in that third game of the weekend.”
While that loss will sting and stay with the girls during their few days of rest this week, they’ll try to bounce back in front of a packed home crowd against Chaparral on Friday.
