Dave Maxwell
Lacey Steele and Gracie Carter battle for the ball with a Moapa Valley player. Moapa won the game 52-18. Pahranagat plays host to Wells on Dec. 17.
Troubled by a full court press, an overly aggressive defense, falling behind 7-0 at the outset, and plagued by numerous turnovers was the downfall for the Pahranagat Valley girls in their first home game of the season. They simply never could catch up and ended up losing to visiting Moapa Valley 52-18 on Tuesday this week.
Madalyn Taylor had 14 points the lead PVHS (3-2). Lainey Cornwall and Matilda Thompson both had 10 points for Moapa Valley (1-1).
Panther coach Amy Huntsman said she did expect Moapa would be as aggressive as they were. “They are always a quick team and play good defense.” She said of her team, “We’re a young group, and right now it’s all about finding out what we do well and what each player’s role is.”
The girls opened the season playing in the Lake Mead/Calvary Chapel tournament Dec. 3-5 and did very well, going 3-1.
Taylor had 12 points, and the Panthers grabbed a 27-0 halftime lead and routed the Lutheran Knights of Chula Vista, Calif, 38-3 in their first game of the tournament. Gracie Carter added nine points for Pahranagat Valley.
Taylor continued her fine play the next game, scoring 14 points to help the Panthers rout The Meadows Mustangs 50-23.
Gracie Carter added 10 points for Pahranagat Valley, which led 24-6 at the half.
Kaiya Massey led The Meadows with 10 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. Marcella Peek added 12 rebounds for the Mustangs.
Pahranagat also won 36-29 over Boulder City Friday night. It was the first time the Lady Panthers and Boulder City have played in at least eight years.
Those wins put the Panther girls into the championship where they faced Lincoln County.
Tournament MVP and 2015 Southern Division III MVP Savannah Harr had 12 points, six steals and two assists to lead Lincoln County 40-20 over the Pahranagat Valley girls for the tournament title.
Kristal Jackson added 11 points and seven rebounds for Lincoln County (5-0), which led 22-10 at the half.
Karley Whipple led Pahranagat Valley with eight points. The Panther girls just couldn’t get on track in the middle quarters, managing only five points in that span.
The teams will meet again Dec. 15 in Panaca. Lincoln leads 7-6 in the recent series between the in-county rivals since 2006. The last Pahranagat win was 57-43 in 2013.
The Lady Panthers next home game is with Wells Dec. 17 at 5 p.m.
Just before Christmas, PVHS plays in the Vegas Invitational at Mountain View Christian Dec. 19-23. Their first game is with Chaparral.
