Girls basketball team finds groove

As promised by coach Paul Dosch, the Boulder City girls basketball team survived its difficult start only to get better as a team.

“We started with seven games in eight days and it was hard on the girls, trying to find a chemistry. Plus, we had some injuries,” Dosch said. “But when we struggled, I promised the girls we would get better and our play would change once they all bought into the plan of all playing together and stepping up our defense.

The Lady Eagles have responded.

They defeated visiting Sunrise Mountain 61-23 Friday to improve their Sunrise League record to 3-0. The defense has dominated league play, and the offense has found a groove.

“Coach told us to keep working hard and that the hard work would show on the court,” junior Megan Morton said. “We have been playing so much better these past two weeks. Everyone is getting after people on defense, and the defensive stops are transitioning into our offensive breaks.”

Morton scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while guard Katlyn Daly added 17 points and nine rebounds to lead Boulder City, which is 7-3 overall. Teammates Sariah Gneiting scored six points, Rylee Dosch and Sam Hanson scored five each and Ybarra added 4.

The Lady Eagles used a 14-2 second-quarter run to build a 28-8 halftime lead. The defense held the Miners’ top scorer, Ayla Diaz, to eight points.

“We are going to win a lot of games if we continue to play defense this way and hold teams to 23 points,” Dosch said. “The girls know there is still a lot of work ahead, especially during the break in California.”

Hoping to gain experience against larger and faster teams, the Lady Eagles will play in a holiday tournament in Murrieta (Calif.) Friday through Monday. They will play four games in four days.

“We play some tough teams in California, but we see it as an opportunity to play harder and get better,” Daly said. “Because when we come back, we play our league schedule and have to make a run for the playoffs. We have to give it our all each time we play from now on if we want to reach our goals.”

The Lady Eagles resume their Sunrise League schedule Jan. 8 at Desert Pines and then play at home Jan. 9 against Moapa Valley.

The Sunrise Mountain game was scheduled to be played at Sunrise Mountain, but a leak in the gym roof forced the schools to switch home games. The Lady Eagles’ home game, scheduled for Jan. 29, instead will be played at Sunrise Mountain.

On Dec. 17, Morton scored 20 points as the Lady Eagles rolled 52-20 at Southeast Career Technical Academy. Daly added 10 points for Boulder City, which held Tech scoreless in the first quarter and led 32-4 at halftime.