Faith Lutheran girls get revenge, topple Clark

Faith Lutheran’s girls basketball team was out for revenge Tuesday night, facing the team that gave the Crusaders their only Sunset League loss of the season.

Dani Tharaldson and Morgan Hill made sure Faith Lutheran got its redemption.

Tharaldson and Hill each scored 25 points, and the defending Division I-A state champion Crusaders moved into a first-place tie in the Sunset League with a 66-54 road victory over Clark.

“They felt terrible (after the first loss to Clark),” Faith Lutheran coach Jennifer Karner said. “They missed a lot of shots, a lot of open layups and a lot of missed free throws. They know they lost the game just as much as Clark had beaten us. They were ready to come out and play (Tuesday). They remembered the loss. They remembered the celebration at our halfcourt, and so they were ready to turn the tide a bit.

“I think for our confidence, the (win is) huge. We stubbed our toe losing to Clark the first time around. The girls had an agenda to be No. 1 in league again this year. It helps, but we’ve still got one more. We’re not done yet.”

Faith Lutheran (17-9, 8-1 Sunset), which suffered a 41-40 home loss to Clark on Jan. 23, hosts Pahrump Valley on Thursday with a second consecutive league championship at stake.

Tharaldson had all 11 of her team’s second-quarter points and scored 15 in the first half, but the Crusaders still trailed 30-24 at the break.

Hill led the Faith Lutheran charge in the third quarter, scoring the Crusaders’ first eight points and tying the game at 32 with 3 minutes, 20 seconds left. On the next possession, Kim Munro hit a free throw to give the Crusaders their first lead since early in the first quarter.

Hill had 22 of her points in the second half and added 12 rebounds for Faith Lutheran, which outscored the Chargers 20-7 in the third quarter.

“We had tons of rebounds from Morgan Hill,” Karner said. “That’s where most of her offense came from tonight. She wanted it more. Hill and Tharaldson are our captains this year and our leaders. When we need them most, they step up and play hard for us.”

Bobbi Floyd led the Chargers (14-7, 8-1) with 16 points and 17 rebounds despite playing with four fouls for half of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter. Karlicia Stroughter added 13 points, and Ci’Quadya Belser scored 10 for Clark, which shot only 10-for-30 from the free-throw line.

“My kids didn’t play like they’re capable of playing tonight,” Clark coach Mike Moulchin said. “Faith (Lutheran) just came to play tonight. We had a golden opportunity tonight, but they played a better ballgame.

“We think we can play with anybody down here, so we’re not worried about (the No. 1 seed). There’s a lot of teams that can win this thing. Nobody is a shoo-in. It’s wide open.”