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Seniors Gracie Carter, Lacey Steele, and Madalyn Taylor set the defense for Pahrangat Valley in a recent game. The Panthers girls play at Beatty today and at home against Sandy Valley on Saturday.
If Coach Amy Huntsman and the Pahranagat Valley varsity girls basketball team win their remaining league games, they will have successfully defended last year’s league title. They’ll also earn an automatic spot in the league tournament semi-finals, to be held at Basic High School in Henderson on Feb. 16-17.
Huntsman and the Lady Panthers have been regular season league champions seven of the last eight years. Eight of the last nine years, they’ve been the league tournament winners. In addition, the girls have been in the state tournament for the last 22 years and have won it 13 times, setting a state record along the way, and finishing as runners-up three times.
In the next two weeks, the Lady Panthers will close out the league season with an away game at Beatty. They’ll then host Sandy Valley on Feb. 3 and Indian Springs on Feb. 9.
Concluding the regular season, the girls will tune up for the league tournament in Ely, Feb. 10, by playing unbeaten 2A Northern League leader White Pine (20-0).
Last week, the Pahranagat girls added to their fine season record (14-3) with a 40-32 home win over the Moapa Valley JVs, a team that includes some second-string varsity players.
Morgan Harris led the way for Pahranagat with 11 points. Gracie Carter had nine points. The girls were 10 of 21 at the foul line.
Emily Barrosa led Moapa Valley with 14 points, including four 3-point plays.
PVHS had a 25-8 halftime lead, but had to fight hard in the second half to stave off an all-out barrage by the Lady Pirates, who brought the score to 25-20 after three quarters.
Had it not been for a 17-3 run by Pahranagat at the end of the third quarter and into the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Pirates might have had the Panthers walking the plank.
Late in the final period, Moapa Valley got as close as six, but no closer.
In league play, Pahranagat (4-0) has a one-game lead over Round Mountain (12-4, 4-1) and holds a tiebreaker over the Knights.
