Girls hoops team on the rise

Posting a 20-win season last year, Boulder City High School girls basketball is excited for more this upcoming season.

“Coming off a 20-win season, our motto this year is to expect more,” head coach Brian Bradshaw said. “We believe we have a good chance of finishing in the top two and making a run at state.”

Looking to fuel these aspirations, junior Mackenzie Martorano returns after leading the Eagles in points (11.5), rebounds (13) and blocks (1.2) last season.

“Mackenzie coming back after a good year of varsity is really beneficial for us,” Bradshaw said. “Now she’s an upperclassman and should be even more dominant. She’s a player who played a lot inside last season and now she’ll get more opportunities, playing inside out.“

Looking to give the Eagles a second star, sophomore Kyra Stevens will look to build upon a strong freshman campaign where she averaged 6.3 points and 8.9 rebounds.

“Kyra is still growing, now listed at 6-1,” Bradshaw said. “She’s very athletic and a hard worker. She’s really developed a shot and that will help her offensive game grow. She scored a lot of her points on rebounds last season, we now expect her to be a threat running the floor as well.”

Building a strong core around their two front court players, will be guards Amaya Soares, Rihanna Maza and Kendall Shamo.

“Amaya will be coming back at the point, she’s a very talented ball handler,” Bradshaw said. “Kendall started the majority of last season, she’s a great role player and defensive stopper. We’re gonna ask her to shoot more this season and Rhianna can be a real threat from deep.”

Giving the Eagles depth will be seniors Amaya Findlay, Leonesse Williams, Alley Jappe and Malley Jobin.

Sophomore Lauren Mueller is also expected to make a big impact with her 5-10 presence in the paint.

Looking to challenge themselves early, the Eagles will host 4A Southeast Career Technical Academy on Tuesday.