Craig Daily Press

Craig — Having had a bye in the first round of the state 4A girls basketball playoffs, Moffat County entered Saturday’s second-round match-up with Berthoud a well-rested team.

The rest paid off for the Bulldogs, as Moffat County proved to have the fresher legs in a 61-36 victory against the visiting Spartans.

“I thought we were nervous and jittery there at the beginning,” MCHS coach Craig Mortensen said. “But, of course I’m happy with the win. These girls have been playing on this court since they were pee-wees. It’s the state playoffs. They knew what they had to do.”

Moffat County used a stingy defense and timely shots to pull away from Berthoud in the first half.

Senior Markie Workman opened the game with a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs, giving the home team an early lead that they would never relinquish.

The Bulldogs held the Spartans scoreless for the first 4:20 of the game, taking an early 7-0 lead before a Berthoud put-back by Sarah Allshouse put the Spartans on the board.

The Spartans were successful in breaking the Bulldogs’ staple full-court press defense, but the Spartans had difficulty converting the possessions into points.

Moffat County held an 11-4 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The lead was stretched to 16 points at the half, and 22 when the final period began.

“We just didn’t do a lot of things very well,” Spartans coach Randy Early said. “We didn’t rebound very well. We had trouble running our offense a little bit. Those are probably the two biggest things we didn’t do very well. You’ve got to give credit to Moffat County. They shoot well from outside and they score inside just as well.”

Inside is where Workman dominated Saturday. The senior scored 17 points and hauled in nine rebounds.

Outside is Angie Charchalis territory. Charchalis drained three 3-pointers on her way to 19 points, five steals and five assists.

“Every game is a good test for us,” Workman said. “A couple of us were in foul trouble early but we fought through.”

Trailing coming out of the half, Berthoud’s Amy Ekart drained a 3-pointer, attempting to ignite a fire under her team, but the Bulldogs answered.

Moffat County went on a 6-0 run and a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach.

“It was fun while it lasted,” Spartans senior Jasmine Cervantes said. “We gave it our best shot. It just wasn’t meant to be. I wish their team good luck. They are a pretty good ball team. I give them credit.”

Cervantes scored a team-high 16 points for Berthoud. Ekart added nine and Allshouse seven.

Moffat County plays the winner of Greeley West/Pueblo South on Friday.

The Bulldogs likely will travel to Silver Creek for the Sweet 16 match up.

Silver Creek is the host of Lou Piel region as the No. 1 seed. If the Raptors lost Saturday’s game, Moffat County will host.

“We have to keep the same intensity and play like we always do,” Workman said. “Every court is the same. Two rims and how ever long it is. We just have to play our game.”