By Dan Karpiel
The Surveyor

Just when it appeared the Berthoud High School (BHS) girls basketball team had found their groove, back-to-back losses against two of their fiercest rivals have dealt a blow to the Lady Spartans postseason hopes. Berthoud was on the short end of a 69-46 final in a raucous environment in Windsor on Jan. 20 and then dropped a home tilt to Mead by 61-44 final on Tuesday night.

The pair of losses dropped the Lady Spartans below the .500 mark in Tri-Valley Conference play and into a three-way tie for fourth place as the second trip through the league schedule begins. Both games told a similar story – unforced errors and poor shooting from the floor doomed the Lady Spartans both times. Berthoud has been held below 40 percent from the floor in their two games, making good on just 38 percent of their field goals in Windsor and a paltry 31 percent in Tuesday’s home loss to Mead.

While the Lady Spartans kept pace in Windsor through much of the first period, a 9-2 scoring run by the Lady Wizards in the final two-plus minutes of the period, aided by six Berthoud turnovers, quickly put the home team on the fast-track to victory. A three-pointer from junior Ashlee Burdette tied the score at 7-7 midway through the first, but then Windsor hit the gas, out-scoring their visitors 14-2 over the next four minutes. By halftime, Windsor had built a 19-point lead, 44-25, and never looked back.

Freshman Emily Cavey, who sat for first quarter but then played nearly every second thereafter, led Berthoud with 13 points and nine rebounds, while senior Sarah Howard chipped in nine points and grabbed eight boards, and Burdette scored another eight.

Four days later, Berthoud was able to keep the game within reach through the first half and trailed by just four, 21-17, at the break. Yet the Lady Mavericks pulled away in the second half, out-scoring their hosts by 13 in the second half to notch the win and move into sole possession of third place in the TVC. Cavey’s 13 points, on five-for-eight shooting, once again paced the Lady Spartans, but the remainder of the team was a combined 10-for-41.

Berthoud (9-7, 3-4 conf.) will have a chance to climb back up the TVC standings as they face the two teams with whom they are tied in the conference standings in their next two contests, traveling to Erie (8-8, 3-4 conf.) on Jan. 27 then hosting Skyline (8-6, 3-4 conf.) on Jan. 31.