Craig Daily Press / Bulldogs keep rolling

Moffat County High School girls basketball team wins fifth game in a row

Moffat County’s Desirae Pearcey takes a shot Saturday against visiting Eagle Valley. The Bulldogs won, 72-18, to maintain their firm grasp on the No. 2 spot in the league. Enlarge photo — Photo by John Vandelinder

By John Vandelinder

January 28, 2008

Craig — Forty-three percent. That is the rate at which Bulldogs senior Angie Charchalis drains 3-pointers this season.

On Saturday, Charchalis improved that number.

The senior guard made all four of her attempts from downtown in the first quarter, helping guide Moffat County past an overmatched Eagle Valley squad, 72-18.

“They played a lot of zone defense,” Charchalis said. “We moved the ball well, and I got some good looks. Sometimes when it leaves your hand you know it’s going in.”

Moffat senior post player Markie Workman was in early foul trouble, but it made no difference.

The Bulldogs relied on their staple full-court defense and held the Devils scoreless in the second quarter.

“We usually handle the press pretty well,” Eagle Valley coach Ken Reagan said. “Today, we couldn’t get our trap offense working. Their guards are really quick, and we couldn’t handle the pressure.”

The teams entered Saturday’s contest on opposite sides of the win column in Western Slope League play, and each was on a streak.

But, they were streaks of a different sort.

The Bulldogs (13-3, 6-1 WSL) pushed their winning streak to five consecutive games, while the Devils (2-12, 1-6) have now dropped six in a row.

“They gave Angie all day to shoot,” Moffat County coach Craig Mortensen said. “If you do that and leave her open, she’s going to hurt you.”

Charchalis finished with 21 points, fellow guard Jorgiea Raftopoulos scored 10, as did senior Amy Dilldine.

Eagle Valley had just three players score; Jeanette Baker led with 11 points, Yvette Parra scored five and Jackie Eberhard rounded out the Devils’ scoring with two.

“Any time you play a team that good, you learn from it,” Baker said. “It was a good experience for us. The score doesn’t always show it but, we are developing.”

Moffat County hosts league-leader Glenwood Springs on Friday, in a matchup of the two top teams in the Western Slope.

“We stayed focused this weekend even though we have a big game coming up,” Dilldine said. “We are thinking about now. We will work on next week, next week.”