Lady Vandals get first-round playoff bye

With victories at Carlin and Owyhee, the Eureka County High School girls basketball team finished the regular season 17-5 overall and 10-2 in the Eastern 1A — good enough for second place and a first-round bye in the regional playoffs.

At Carlin on Friday, Feb. 6, the Lady Vandals railroaded the Railroaders, 44-9. Eureka led 26-7 at halftime and didn’t allow Carlin to score in the third quarter. 

Junior Quil Filippini and sophomores Natalie Bliss and Anna McKay all had 10 points to lead the Lady Vandals. Bliss had a double-double with 11 steals. 

Classmate Annie Tibbitts added nine rebounds and six points.

Owyhee, the Eastern 1A regular season champion, fell at home in a fun game, 42-38, in what could be a preview of the regional championship game. The Vandals erased a 21-13 halftime deficit with a 14-7 third quarter and 15-10 fourth.

“The girls played well versus Owyhee. The win didn’t change the standings, but definitely gave us a giant morale boost going into postseason play,” ECHS head coach Travis Gallagher.

Bliss had 21 points, eight rebounds and five steals, hitting 50% of her threes, 60% of her twos and 75% of her free throws. McKay had 10 points and six rebounds, and Filippini added nine points and 10 rebounds.

“The girls seem to be playing their best ball of the season at the perfect time. We have a tough road ahead of us, but we have the tools to make a good run into the postseason,” Gallagher said.

The Vandals await the winner between third-seeded Wells and the sixth-seeded play-in teams: Carlin and Jackpot. Their semifinal game will be played in Elko at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13.