Lady Eagles go 3-2 in tournament play

Back from holiday break, Boulder City High School is coming into the new year with momentum, following a 3-2 finish in the Green Valley Christian Holiday Tournament.

“We played well in four games and finished strong, playing our best basketball of the season,” head coach Brian Bradshaw said. “I contribute that to less turnovers and more scoring in the paint. Our bigs are also back to rebounding and as you know that is our identity this year.”

Picking up three victories, the Eagles avenged two early-season losses to Southeast Career Technical Academy on Jan. 3 with a 36-18 victory, while also picking up wins over 4A Basic (40-31) and Northern 3A challenger Dayton (48-42).

Against Southeast Career Technical Academy, Kyra Stevens led the way with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while Lauren Mueller broke out with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Against Basic, Stevens added 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Makenzie Martorano recorded 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Mueller added nine points and 11 rebounds against Basic, while adding 14 points and nine rebounds against Dayton.

“We moved Lauren more outside, which has really improved her play,” Bradshaw said. “She sees the floor well and is a great passer and handles the ball well for her size. It’s been exciting to see her growth and watch her production increase.”

Shining against Dayton, Stevens added 20 points and 17 rebounds, while Martorano added 15 rebounds, eight points, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Making the All-Tournament team, Martorano scored 23 points with 12 rebounds and four steals in a 48-44 loss to California program High Tech, while scoring 14 points with 14 rebounds in a 43-21 defeat to Northern 2A challenger White Pine.

Back on the court this week, the Eagles are ready to go after two tough tournaments, hosting rival Virgin Valley on Friday in a league matchup, followed by a home game with 4A Sierra Vista on Tuesday.

“We have not had one easy game in both of our holiday tournaments and this can only help us,” Bradshaw said. “We feel we can still contend for the top two in our division and make a run for state.”