3A GIRLS: Virgin Valley girls rally nets state berth

Rachel Morris has waited patiently for the practice time she spends working on free throws to pay off in games.

On Saturday, it helped the junior center send Virgin Valley’s girls basketball team to the Class 3A state tournament.

Morris hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final 1:09 to help the Bulldogs rally for a 40-36 win over Boulder City in the 3A Southern League title game at Desert Oasis.

“I was thinking it’s not going to be like practice where I don’t make my free throws,” said Morris, who entered the game shooting 38-for-85 (44.7 percent) from the foul line. “Like my grandpa taught me since I was little, free throws, free throws. That’s what I work on.”

Virgin Valley (11-14) claimed Southern Nevada’s lone spot in the 3A state tournament. The Bulldogs will play Northern Region runner-up Lowry in a semifinal Friday at Damonte Ranch High.

Morris led the Bulldogs with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Virgin Valley trailed 19-8 early in the second quarter but began clawing back. The Bulldogs finally took their first lead since 2-0 when a free throw by Morris gave them a 31-30 edge with 2:43 remaining.

“We worked our butts off and got back into it,” said Morris, who made 9 of 16 free throws in the game. “We knew if this was going to be our last game, we were going to go all out.”

Freshman point guard Nikki Arquette added 10 points for Virgin Valley, which is gunning for its first state title since taking the 2A crown in 1993.

“This is probably one of the biggest moments for these kids because we only have one starter from last year (Morris) who has any varsity experience,” Bulldogs coach Chimane Creer said. “They stepped up big tonight.”

Morris’ free throw with 1:09 left tied the score at 36. Madison Bowler followed with another free throw, giving the Bulldogs the lead, after a technical foul had been assessed to Boulder City.

Morris hit a pair of free throws 20 seconds later as the Bulldogs scored the game’s final five points — all on free throws.

Jessi Forrester nailed five 3-pointers on her way to 16 points to lead Boulder City (11-10), which shot 5-for-20 from the floor in the second half.