BY DANIEL SCHMIDT | THE OBSERVER
BEAUREGARD — Entering the girls’ 5A Area 7 championship game, a Beauregard High School team riding a five-game winning streak and playing its best basketball eagerly looked to claim its crown from rivals Valley High School.
Instead, junior guard Kayden Dooley’s 13 fourth-quarter points and a smothering defensive effort helped lift the Lady Rams (17-5, 4-0) to a 53-46 home win over the Lady Hornets (16-8, 2-2) on Feb. 10.
In a game defined by wild momentum swings, VHS girls’ head coach Eberne Myrthil decided to hold his trump card for as long as he could until the moment called for it. That came late in the game as VHS fought to hold onto its narrow lead.
“We didn’t press in the first half, but we came out and showed it in the fourth quarter, and that really created some turnovers. We tried to hold it all the way until then. And I’m very impressed with the way we played defensively,” Myrthil said. “I’ve got to give it up to Beauregard’s coach over there. He’s doing one heck of a job, and they played us tough all three games. Hopefully we can see them in the regional [tournament].
Despite having a chance to win the game in the finals minutes, BHS girls’ head coach Trent Powell recognized his team played with reckless abandon at times as they chased their first area title since the 2022/23 season.
“We get after it, but sometimes we go at a pace that’s a little too fast for us to sustain,” Powell said. “If we could have shot free throws well today and taken care of the ball a little better, I think this could have been a different outcome. But we honestly didn’t give ourselves a chance because we either turned turn the ball over or couldn’t get a shot.”
To start the game, points were difficult for either team to come by as turnovers and intense defensive presses halted any possible momentum. Behind Jamiah Johnson’s three-point shooting, the Lady Rams broke that stalemate to win an extremely physical final three minutes and end the first quarter with an 11-6 lead.
After falling behind due to inconsistent play, it appeared the Lady Hornets would erase that deficit after converting more of their layups and fast-break opportunities. However, the Lady Rams erased that hard work as constant fouls and a choppy game flow played to their advantage down the stretch.
Down 28-20 coming out of halftime, BHS overcame VHS’ smothering defensive effort and efficient fast-break offense behind Kalise Culbertson’s and Lindsey Moulton’s scoring abilities. By the time the third quarter ended, the Lady Hornets had cut the deficit in half and set themselves up in striking distance.
Facing the uncomfortable reality of a shrinking lead, it appeared the Lady Rams received breathing room in the fourth quarter after Dooley scored five points within the first 70 seconds. Yet that relief was short-lived as BHS snagged enough defensive rebounds and found openings in VHS’ zone defense to come within a possession of a tie late in the game.
Ultimately, Dooley’s and Johnson’s clutch shooting from the free-throw line and from three-point range in the final two minutes ultimately put the Lady Rams over the top as the clock slowly drained away.
Culbertson paced the Lady Hornets with 19 points, and Moulton chipped in 10 points.
