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Pirates Roll Over SECTA, Sky Pointe

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

Pirate sophomore Andi Hillstead fights for the rebound during a Home game last week against SECTA. PHOTO BY EDEN WHITMORE/Moapa Valley Progress.

At this point in the season, the MVHS girls basketball team has officially claimed authority over their opponents in the division, and seem on track to find themselves making a late season playoff run once again. However, with games still ahead, there is nothing to do but get better. That was the primary focus of the team’s two games last week.

The first game of the week came on Tues., Jan. 16, against the Sky Pointe Eagles, a team that has struggled mightily in its first season of play at the Division 3A level. The Eagles have yet to claim a league win, and their offense has struggled to surpass much more than ten to fifteen points in a game.

Seeing an opportunity to develop his role players even further, Moapa Valley head coach Stuart Humes rested the starters and seniors and allowed the younger players and older role players to show what they’re made of in a starting spot. Safe to say, the team did not disappoint.

With 13 points, Andalin Hillstead led the way for the Pirates, and juniors Ashlyn Western and Emilie Barraza added 8 of their own. Freshman Annabel Lounsbury came in with seven.
Moapa would run away with a 49-11 victory.
“It’s always nice to get some of those girls who don’t play a ton what they deserve with some minutes after working so hard in practice,” said MVHS head coach Stuart Humes. “They did a pretty good job of executing the offense and they played some fantastic defense. It’s hard not to be excited about this future group because they have a lot of potential.”

On Friday night, the Pirates hosted SECTA in a game where the starters would return and help Moapa coast to their second straight victory of the week. The final score in this one would be 54-13 and a balanced scoring effort told the story. The Pirates had nine players score in the game, with five of them scoring six points or more.

The two wins this week have told the story in league play for the Pirates this season. Sure, there have been a few minor speed bumps, but overall the team has been able to beat teams handily and has yet to receive a major test in games that count on the league schedule. Their average point differential in their seven games this season has been plus-33 and it has been clear dominance week after week.

Coach Humes said about the task of keeping the team on their heels, “Sometimes when you’re playing these games, where you have teams that aren’t challenging you, it’s up to the girls to challenge each other in practice. We want to make the practices so tough that the games really come around as easy.”

However, the team will likely meet its toughest task of the year in taking on the Bulldogs of Virgin Valley, who trail by just a game in the standings and will get a shot at the juggernaut that has been Moapa this Friday.
“This week is an opportunity for us to put a dagger in the rest of the league,” Humes said.

After falling short at the state tournament last season, the team is focused on returning and tying up loose ends this time around. “They all felt like we fell short last year and took it personally,” Humes said. “I think they feel like they owe it to themselves and the girls they played with last year to finish the deal this year.”
“This group is pretty focused and they feel like they have unfinished business,” Humes concluded. “They play with the confidence that I think can put them over the top.”

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