Girls pick up big win

Finishing 1-3 in the Gator Winter Classic tournament at Green Valley High School, Boulder City High School’s girls basketball team picked up a crucial 43-34 victory over Southeast Career Technical Academy on Dec. 29.

“We finished the tournament with a big win against Tech by using our defensive play to create offense by forcing 27 turnovers,” head coach Brian Bradshaw said. “We shut down their big scorers and contested shots all over the floor. By far this was our best team performance of the season.”

Leading the way for the Lady Eagles, junior Bree Leavitt scored 13 points with five assists. Senior Samantha Bahde scored 12 points with five rebounds and four steals.

Out-rebounding Southeast Career Technical Academy 41-33, including 18 offensive rebounds, junior Acacia Williams pulled down 10 boards with 8 points and senior Ella McKenzie grabbed eight rebounds.

For her efforts, Williams made the all-tournament team.

“This is very deserving for Acacia,” Bradshaw said. “She was one of our most consistent players during the tournament and is definitely a leader for us on the floor. Our team was proud of Acacia for this accomplishment.”

Playing Sunrise Mountain earlier in the day, the Lady Eagles fell 41-26, but gained valuable experience heading into the second half of the season by playing higher classified opponents.

“We had many ups and downs during the tournament and our mental toughness has improved,” Bradshaw said. “We learned we need to play with discipline and work together to have success. The biggest takeaway as we move into league play is having mental toughness when we are not playing well or when there is adversity or disappointment during a game. These girls are much more confident now and I feel we are ready to compete with any team that remains on our schedule. I’m very excited about moving into league play.”

A bright spot for the Lady Eagles despite their loss to the Miners, Leavitt scored 11 points, while Williams scored 8 points, while making five steals.

Looking to build a winning streak, the Lady Eagles will travel to Del Sol on Monday, Jan. 10, before hosting rival Moapa Valley on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.