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Lady Pirates Defeat Boulder City Eagles


	Jonathan Oglesby Moapa Valley Progress When the Lady Pirates took on Boulder City on Tuesday, January 29, the players and fans knew what was on the line; win and go to the playoffs or lose and be tied for last place in the division. Since it has been a total of three complete seasons since the ladies of Moapa Valley have gone to the playoffs, let alone win a league game, the magnitude of this achievement was on the		Jessica Waite shoots a three-pointer in a league win against the Boulder City Lady Eagles.
	minds of many as MVHS packed the Gary Batchelor Gymnasium for the monumental event. The Lady Pirates started to click early on offensively as they played an aggressive style that prevented Boulder City from getting a handle on the game. Meredith Gutowski opened up the scoring for the Lady Pirates and when Kaytie Cook scored with 2:57 left in the first quarter, Moapa Valley held a 9-0 lead. The contributions came from players on both sides of the court as the Lady Pirates out-rebounded, out-scored, and out-played the Lady Eagles in the first quarter to take a 11-4 lead into the second quarter. Jessica Waite opened the scoring up for Moapa when she made an easy layup to give the Lady Pirates a 13-4 lead. Waite would score the quarter’s first six points until Kasi Delgadillo made a wide three to give Moapa Valley a 20-6 lead. Chelsi McConnell also came up big for the Lady Pirates as she was able to get a steal and then drive down the court on the fast break to score for Moapa. Score at the end of the first quarter: Moapa Valley 22, Boulder City 6. The second half opened with early points from the Lady Pirates as Cori Cook, her twin Kaytie, and Kasi Delgadillo gave the Lady Pirates a 28-9 lead with 4:22 left in the quarter. The Lady Pirates focused on playing aggressive defense in the third quarter, especially in the paint and around the perimeter. The result was several blocked shots and steals for Moapa Valley which turned into offensive points. When Chelsi McConnell made an easy pull-up jumper, the Lady Pirates made a 35-13 lead with 1:44 left in the quarter. Moapa Valley would take a 37-19 lead into the fourth quarter. McConnell would again make an outside shot to start the Lady Pirate offense and when Kaytie Cook got an easy layup with 3:12 left in the game, the Lady Pirates had a 47-24 lead with 3:12 left. Brianne Olige finished off the Lady Pirate scoring in a way that defined the Lady Pirate’s efforts to return to the playoffs; getting an offensive rebound and fighting in to get the shot to bounce off the glass and into the basket. Final Score: Moapa Valley 52, Boulder City 27. The Lady Pirates have now qualified for the Southern 3A Playoffs to be held in Las Vegas at Del Sol High School on February 14. They are guaranteed the fourth seed but can still improve seeding with victories this week against Faith Lutheran and Pahrump Valley.