I-A GIRLS: Chargers shake off late-season losses, hold off Sunrise Mountain

Clark’s girls basketball team came into Tuesday’s Division I-A Sunrise Region quarterfinal having lost its two previous games.

For coach Mike Moulchin, it wasn’t exactly the ideal way to start the playoffs. He reiterated all week in practice that it only takes two wins to advance to the state tournament.

The Chargers must have listened closely because they showed urgency from the get-go, storming out to a 30-16 halftime lead and hanging on for 53-49 home win over Sunrise Mountain. Clark (15-8) will face Boulder City (21-4) at 3 p.m.Thursday at Sunrise Mountain in a region semifinal.

Clark used its defense early, causing 10 turnovers in the first half. That defense turned into an up-tempo offense, giving the Chargers a 16-point lead in the second quarter. It was their largest of the game.

The Miners didn’t go away, and started the third quarter on a 10-0 run. Down just 52-49 with less than five seconds to play, Sunrise Mountain had a chance to tie with a 3-pointer, but turned the ball over on an inbounds miscue. Karlicia Stroughter then hit 1 of 2 free throws to ice the game for Clark.

“They’ve always been a second-half team,” Moulchin said of Sunrise Mountain. “I knew they were going to make a run, but I just didn’t want the run to end the game. They really adjusted well.

“We kind of win ugly, but my girls kind of glue it together and pick it up when they need to.”

Sunrise Mountain (15-11) held Clark’s leading scorer, Bobbi Floyd, to just one field goal and seven points.

Though Floyd struggled on offense, she picked it up in every other facet of the game. Floyd finished with 16 rebounds and nine blocked shots.

“She played a heck of a defensive game,” Moulchin said. “Bobbi pretty much gave it up for defense tonight. I told her, ‘You got to play through the (hand checks). As a scorer, that’s going to happen and you have to just play through it.’”

Ci’Quadya Belser led the Chargers with 15 points.

“She can light it up when we need her to,” Moulchin said. “She’s a senior, and she told me when we got to the gym that it was not going to be her last game. She meant it.”

Johnice Bland added 12 points to give Moulchin his first playoff win as Clark’s head coach.

“This is great for the program,” Moulchin said.

Jasmyn Rodriguez scored 12 of her 20 points in the second half to bring the Miners within two points late in the fourth quarter. Brittany Veal added 17 points and four steals for Sunrise Mountain, which got 11 blocks, nine rebounds and from Tyrah Lee.

Sunrise Mountain coach Chris Williams was proud of his team despite the loss. The Miners, who had just won just seven games last season, made their first playoff appearance in school history.

“I told them, ‘You can either be history, or make history,’” Williams said. “I think they made history by winning 15 games.”

Desert Pines 56, Faith Lutheran 54 — At Faith Lutheran, Adrianne Jackson’s basket with 25 seconds left gave the Jaguars the lead as they upset the Sunset League’s No. 1 seed and defending state champion.

Jackson’s bucket made it 55-54. She also hit the front end of a one-and-one with 1.2 seconds left. She missed the second shot, and Faith Lutheran was unable to get a shot off.

Chrystian Myles scored 24 points, and Jordan Bailey added 17 points for the Jaguars (7-20), who outscored Faith Lutheran 18-10 in the fourth quarter. Desert Pines will face Western (18-9) in a semifinal at 6:20 p.m. Thursday at Sunrise Mountain.

Alex Wright notched 16 points, and Kim Munro contributed 12 points to lead the Crusaders (18-10).

Western 57, Virgin Valley 52 — At Mesquite, Destiny Gonzalez had 24 points to lead the Warriors to a win over the Bulldogs.

Guadalupe Herrera added 13 points for Western, which used a 23-7 third quarter burst to pull away.

Becca Bramlage had 15 points, and Abbie Barnard scored 14 for Virgin Valley (15-10), which got nine points and 10 rebounds from Bernice Fiso.

Boulder City 55, Cheyenne 26 — At Boulder City, Whitney Barlow, Katlyn Daly and Alyssa Ybarra each scored 11 points to help the Eagles defeat the Desert Shields.

Jana Williams and Megan Morton each supplied eight points for Boulder City, which jumped out to a 28-11 halftime lead.

Bria Buchanan paced Cheyenne (5-12) with 12 points.