Lady Vandals take second at State

The Eureka County High School girls basketball team finished as NIAA 1A State runners-up after falling 44-31 to Pyramid Lake in Reno on Saturday, Feb 21. 

“We got under their skin in the first quarter and kept at it. Toward the middle of the third quarter we went up by seven, and I started to really believe this was going to happen. Then everything changed,” said ECHS head coach Travis Gallagher. “We got a little gassed and gave them just enough space to get off a couple of key shots, and they were back in it. Our shots wouldn’t fall in the fourth and a few long rebounds and turnovers led to some transition points. Nothing I did stopped the bleeding. The girls fought to the very end and finished a great season with another 1A State runner-up trophy.”

It’s the second time in three years the Lady Vandals have finished runners-up to the eventual champions from Pyramid Lake. Eureka got past Smith Valley in the semifinals, 36-29, on Friday, Feb. 20, after jumping out to a 21-13 halftime lead. 

“The girls had to fight hard against a scrappy Smith Valley team to secure our spot in the championship. It is always hard to beat a team multiple times in the same season, but we did,” Gallagher said. “I do not think there were many people that thought we had a chance versus Pyramid Lake, especially when they put 83 points up against Owyhee the day before. I knew that Pyramid hadn’t played against a defense like ours. I knew that if we could keep them to a lower scoring game that we would be in it. The girls were ready and wanted it.” 

Gallagher went on to call his players “relentless” and commended their accomplishments, especially overcoming some midseason struggles to play their best basketball when it counted most.

The Lady Vandals should return a relatively unchanged roster next season. Top scorers Natalie Bliss, Anna McKay and Annie Tibbitts will all be in their junior year, and post player Quil Filippini should return for her senior season. 

“I can’t wait to see what they will accomplish in the next few years. We are losing one senior and gaining some more young talent next year,” Gallagher informed. “The future is bright for the Lady Vandals, and they should be proud of what they did this season.”