Nevada Appeal Staff Report
Friday was the end of the road for one Virginia City basketball team and another notch in the belt for the other.
The Muckers' boys basketball team was rolled by Smith Valley 74-54 on the same court it had watched the girls team take a 56-42 win over Eureka to advance to the championship game of the Northern 1A regional tournament.
"We're going to go home and get some sleep then head back to North Valleys (today)," Virginia City coach Todd Hess said. "We both like to get up the court so it should be an exciting game."
The girls team will face Owyhee in the championship game today at noon at North Valleys High School in Reno.
The win was the 19th-consecutive for the girls and was a test of their free throw shooting ability. They hit 14-of-17 down the stretch and Gigi Glogovac hit 13-of-16 in the game to finish with 22 points. Her sister Sophie added 19.
Hess said the Muckers held the lead for most of the game, but pulled away in the fourth quarter behind their free throw shooting in the fourth quarter.
The boys didn't fair nearly as well. Smith Valley used a 1-3-1 zone and trap to put pressure on the young Muckers. The defense forced the Muckers into turnovers and kept them from getting the ball inside.
Zach Shell led the Muckers with 13 points, while Hunter Redman kicked in 10.
But the good news for the boys is that this trip to the playoffs was a learning experience. They return the entire team and could be a force for the next two years as they only have two current juniors on the roster.