DIVISION I-A GIRLS: Boulder City uses defense to set finals matchup with Faith Lutheran

First-year coach Kirk Frantz knows Boulder City’s defense is his team’s bread and butter.

“Our half-court defense is really our cornerstone,” Frantz said. “We’re a really fast starting team.

We’re not really deep, so we try to jump on them right away with our press.”

In a rematch of last year’s Class 3A semifinal, the Eagles forced 14 first-half turnovers to roll to a 49-38 victory over Moapa Valley Thursday in a semifinal of the Division I-A Southern Region tournament at Sunrise Mountain.

Boulder City (18-6) will battle Faith Lutheran in the championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Sunrise Mountain.

The Eagles converted the Pirates’ first four possessions into points off turnovers, sprinting to an early 15-1 lead. Alyssa Ybarra sank three 3-pointers and Boulder City shot 56.2 percent (9-for-16) from the field in the period. The sophomore guard finished with 12 points, helping the Eagles command a 26-14 advantage at the break.

“When I get up-tempo and my face gets red, something happens and the shots just fall,” Ybarra said.

As the Pirates (15-11) continued to struggle from the perimeter, Shelbie Gray kept her squad within reach. The senior scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds for Moapa Valley.

A late surge, highlighted by Makayla Jackson’s layup and free throw, cut the deficit to 45-36 with 1:06 remaining in the game. But the Eagles connected on 4 of 6 free throws in the final minute.

Junior forward Whitney Barlow contributed 11 points and five rebounds for the Eagles.

Faith Lutheran 58, Chaparral 41 — Faith Lutheran coach Jennifer Karner appreciates the little things. 

“I have four great leaders on the court,” Karner said. “Sometimes they do the dirty jobs like setting screens and rebounding — the ones you don’t see in the box scores.”

While Karner had plenty of contributions Thursday, it was one key senior who played the biggest role.

Julia Benko registered 11 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter to secure the Crusaders a spot in the final with a 58-41 victory over Chaparral at Sunrise Mountain.

The senior guard connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:36 remaining in the game to stymie the Cowboys’ comeback attempt. Benko’s long-range conversion came in the middle of 9-0 run that propelled Faith Lutheran to a 50-33 advantage.

“She’s loving the playoff pressure right now,” Karner said. “She knows this is possibly the last time she’ll get to play basketball and so she’s giving it 100 percent every moment she can.”

The Crusaders (18-8) built a 17-8 first-quarter lead that was ignited by a 14-4 run. Faith Lutheran’s defense forced 14 first-half turnovers, and Chaparral shot 20 percent (8-for-40) from the field in the first two quarters.

Dani Tharaldson supplied 11 points and five rebounds for the Crusaders.

Unique Wilson paced the Cowboys (19-7) with 16 points and 12 rebounds.