Lady Eagles lose to state champions

Boulder City High School girls basketball may have fallen to eventual state champion Churchill County in the state tournament, 56-17, on Feb. 20, but coach Brian Bradshaw’s Eagles took more away from the experience than just a loss.

“The experience of going to state and getting a taste of it will definitely be a big motivator for our younger players in the program,” he said. “It was a wonderful venue and our kids really enjoyed traveling up north as a team. There is a lot of value in now knowing expectations and what it takes to prepare for state games.”

Unable to hang with the eventual champion Greenwave, the Eagles had a hard time dealing with the experience of Churchill County.

“The Churchill team we played was a state team from last year and that was definitely an advantage for them,” Bradshaw said. “We were nervous and it affected our level of play early in the game. With four of our starters back for next year, it is already an expectation for us to return.”

Getting experience under their belt, junior Makenzie Martorano led the way with seven points and four rebounds, while junior Lauren Mueller added four points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal.

Sophomore Kyra Stevens added four points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Finishing the season with a 16-15 record, the Eagles continue to build momentum as a program under coach Bradshaw.

“I’m very proud of what our team accomplished this season,” Bradshaw said. “They came together as a group during the end of the season when it counted the most. In addition to going to state, we won the Bronze championship at the Classic and beat Moapa Valley three times. We played our best basketball at the end of the season.”