Lady Eagles start win streak

Boulder City High School girls basketball finally got in the win column in league play, rattling off two consecutive victories.

Defeating Sloan Canyon 45-18 on Jan. 18, the Eagles started a winning streak against Coral Academy with a 51-43 victory on Jan. 22.

“Going into the Coral game we knew this was a must-win for us, if we wanted to reach our preseason goal of hosting a home playoff game in the regionals,” head coach Brian Bradshaw said. “The kids really responded to the challenge and beat a very good basketball team.”

Outrebounding Coral Academy 49-25, the Eagles consistently crashed the boards en route to a victory in which they never trailed.

Freshman Makenzie Mortorano grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds to go with seven points, while senior Addison Doane added nine points and 11 rebounds.

Senior Julia Carmichael added 12 points with eight rebounds, while senior Kiley Flowers added 12 points with five rebounds and junior Sophia Muelrath added 11 points and grabbed six boards.

“Rebounding has now become a focal point for us and we are definitely working harder at crashing the boards and getting to loose balls,” Bradshaw said. “We have placed an emphasis on winning the offensive boards and getting more second-chance points. It’s a stat we want to win each game.

“Rebounding has become more balanced as a result. Makenzie Martorano has really stepped up with some huge rebounding numbers for us as of late.”

Routing Sloan Canyon 45-18, the Eagles led from start to finish, highlighted by Martorano, who led the way with 16 points and 23 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive end.

Carmichael added 12 points, nine rebounds and three steals, while Muelrath had 11 points with six rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Looking to continue their winning streak, the Eagles will travel to The Meadows on Friday, followed by a home game against Pahrump Valley on Wednesday.

“I think we have turned the corner and playing our best basketball right now,” Bradshaw said. “We are finally healthy and doing the little things to have more success on the floor. We have reduced our turnover ratio and put more of a focus on playing team defense.”

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.