Mountain View drains dozen treys, routs Lake Mead girls in key 2A contest

Mountain View’s girls basketball team hadn’t considered 3-pointers a staple of its offense early this season.

They certainly were Tuesday night.

Mountain View drained 12 3-pointers on its way to a 58-40 road win over Lake Mead that could prove crucial in the Class 2A Southern League playoff race.

“I think our girls, when they’re in rhythm and stepping into a shot, they can get it going,” Saints coach Mike Valenzuela said. “We shoot well in practice, so at some point it’s got to translate to a game like this. We know we can’t win every game making 10 or more 3s, but tonight that’s what they were giving us and we took that shot.”

The first four field goals for Mountain View (10-8, 4-2) were 3-pointers, including two from Briana Marruffo, as the Saints built a 16-2 first-quarter lead.

Lake Mead (5-13, 2-4) pulled within 36-32 late in the third quarter. But Mountain View’s Caitlyn Martin hit three 3-pointers from the right side in the final three minutes of the period to help the Saints extend their lead to 45-32.

Mountain View, Lake Mead and Calvary Chapel appear to be in a three-team race for the league’s final two playoff spots.

“We came into this game knowing it was a must-win situation,” Valenzuela said. “We want to sit in the driver’s seat for one of those two spots coming on the back half of the league, and the girls knew how important this game was. They scrapped, got after every loose ball, and I think we won the 50-50 balls. And when you work hard, shots fall down.”

Marruffo, a senior point guard, led the Saints with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

She got plenty of help, as freshman guard Rose Adkins hit four 3-pointers on her way to 15 points. Martin, a sophomore forward, hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Freshman guard Kiley Murphy added eight points for Mountain View, which held Lake Mead to a combined 11 points in the first and fourth quarters.

“(Marruffo) demands so much attention. She’s taken on that scoring role, but she’s always been a passer first,” Valenzuela said. “She has great vision and is very unselfish.”

Sophomore center Shannon Regan led the Eagles with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Megan Watkins scored nine points for Lake Mead, and Taylor Badua-Kono supplied four points and five steals.