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	Lady Pirates 1-1 In Week 2 of Division Play

	by Jonathan Oglesby Moapa Valley Progress The last time that Moapa Valley won a girls Southern 3A conference game, Lady Pirate stars Blythe Thompson and Kasi Delgadillo were in eighth grade. Since that time, Lady Pirate basketball has fallen from the top of the mountain. But like any great team, this year’s Moapa Valley High School Lady Pirates have made it their goal to make it to the playoffs and fight the whole way for that right. The fighting continued last weekend in division battles with Boulder City and Faith Lutheran. The Lady Pirates played Boulder City on Friday, January 18. Moapa Valley did a good job of keeping the Lady Eagles contained as they tried to feed the ball into their star Katie Forrester. Fortunately, Lady Pirate defensive stars Kasi Delgadillo, Kayla Riggins, and team-steals leader, Jessica Waite, played their best in what became a defensive first quarter. Moapa Valley would lead 12-8 at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Pirates took off on an offensive feast in the early parts of the next quarter as Kyle Rae Peterson opened up early on a layup. The Lady Pirates would stretch their lead when Jessica Waite hit a shot from beyond the arch. The Lady Eagles turned up the heat offensively and defensively as they would bring the game to a 17-14 score with 4:36 left. But Boulder City would have little success after that as Moapa Valley went on a 9-2 run to end the first half with a Lady Pirate lead. Score at the end of the first half: Moapa Valley 26, Boulder City 19. In the third quarter, the ballgame became a back and forth contest. As time went on and it wasn’t until Blythe Thompson made a three pointer that Moapa Valley had a commanding 35-24 lead. Blythe Thompson finished up the scoring for the Lady Pirates as Moapa Valley took a 44-25 lead into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter started out rough for the Lady Pirates as Boulder City made a few quick jump shots to make the game interesting again. It wasn’t until Chelsi McConnell made a basket with 6:05 remaining that Moapa Valley again took a commanding 46-31 lead. From that point on, the Lady Pirates dominated as Brianne Olige, Meredith Gutowski, and Chelsi McConnell put the game on ice and secured the Lady Pirates first division win in three seasons. Final Score: Moapa Valley 57, Boulder City 44. Head Coach Jordan Adams commented after the game against Boulder City. “We are excited to get this victory. The girls need confidence to win and this gives them that confidence. I still feel we can beat any team in the league when we play our best,” commented Adams. The Lady Pirates faced off against Faith Lutheran the following night. However, the game didn’t start off well for the Lady Pirates. The Lady Crusaders scored eight points in the first quarter to finish the quarter with a 8-1 lead. The Lady Pirates were able to get some points up on the board in the second quarter. When Kayla Riggins made a basket inside with 4:21 left in the quarter, Moapa Valley trailed 12-5. From this point on, Faith Lutheran would go on a 4-0 run until Jessica Waite hit a three pointer with :52 left to end the scoring for the first half: Moapa Valley 8, Faith Lutheran 16. The third quarter would be unkind to the Lady Pirates. When Sadie Helm made a basket with 6:10 left in the quarter, Moapa Valley trailed 22-10. Meredith Gutowski made a basket inside but still Moapa was down by eleven with a score of 24-13. Things deteriorated from this point on as Moapa Valley went scoreless for the rest of the half while Faith Lutheran scored seven unanswered points to take a 31-13 lead into the fourth quarter. The Lady Crusaders erupted offensively in the fourth quarter. Even with shots by Cydney Soloman and others, the Lady Pirates couldn’t come back from only scoring one point in the first quarter as the Lady Crusaders rode to victory. Final Score: Moapa Valley 23, Faith Lutheran 43. The Lady Pirates are now in possession of the fourth and final playoff seed in the Southern 3A league with their 1-2 record. They trail Virgin Valley, Pahrump Valley, and Faith Lutheran. Boulder City is the fifth seed with a 0-2 division start and very few positive things happening to them. The Lady Pirate battles with Pahrump Valley and Virgin Valley will be critical this week.