Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 | 2 a.m.
The Virgin Valley girls basketball team, led by senior Briana Todd, is making noise in Southern Nevada this year — loud enough to be heard all the way from Mesquite.
Virgin Valley finished the season atop the 3A Sunrise Region and has already made quick work of Western and Desert Pines in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Todd scored 13 points in each of those wins and is the Wingstop Player of the Week.
“I just want to say that our team bonding has been really great this year,” Todd said. “We’ve worked really hard this year, and a lot of us have played other sports together like volley ball, so there’s a really strong bond.”
Virgin Valley is no stranger to success — this year marks its 10th straight playoff appearance — but lately the Bulldogs have struggled in the postseason. Since making the state final game in 2011, Virgin Valley had lost in the first round of the playoffs four straight years.
That ended this year with Todd and the Bulldogs already clinching a spot in the Southern Region semifinal. Virgin Valley plays longtime rival Moapa Valley at 6 p.m. today at Sunrise Mountain.
“It’s super exciting,” Todd said. “This is the furthest we’ve made it in awhile, and this whole thing has been one of the best experiences of my life.”
Todd leads the team in scoring (14 points per game), steals (2.5 per game) and blocks (41).
“I’ve been more confident this year with handling the ball and knowing where to go with it,” Todd said.
Virgin Valley improved from 13-12 last season to a record of 22-3 this year, and is now three wins away from its first ever state championship in girls basketball. Todd and her teammates have enjoyed every second of it.
“Being in a smaller town (like Mesquite) everyone knows each other,” Todd said. “The town always comes out to support us, and a lot of us girls all share the same goals so it’s been really great.”
Wingstop provides a $50 gift card to the weekly winner.
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