Photo by Will Cornelius
Sophomore guard Ella Strait steps back for a shot against the Eagles on Nov. 28.

By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

Wake-up calls don’t usually come in the evening but on Tuesday the Berthoud High School’s varsity girls basketball team got a loud one in Loveland. The Thompson Valley High School Eagles clobbered the Spartans by a score of 50-28 in the season opener on Nov. 28.
This year’s varsity side is younger and more inexperienced since losing seven seniors, including five starters, from last year’s squad. For some Berthoud players, it was their first-ever high school varsity game. For others, it was their first varsity game seeing significant minutes. Rory Carr, Kaylee Padilla and Avery Pfhol are the only returning Spartans that saw significant playing time last year.
“I think the first quarter really set the tone, we couldn’t break the ice,” said Head Girls Basketball Coach Alan Gibson about the defeat.
Instantly, Thompson Valley’s aggression proved impossible for Berthoud to match. After the first 90 seconds, the Eagles held a 7-0 lead. While the Spartan defense rebounded, the offense remained lacking. With three minutes left in the first quarter, Thompson Valley led 13-0.
Pfohl finally put Berthoud on the board with a short two. A quick run at the end of the first quarter made it 16-5, but the second quarter would extinguish any hope. Baskets from senior Olivia Martinez and Pfohl kept it 19-9 before the Eagles went on a nine-point run to end the half with a 28-9 lead.
Despite a dominating first half, Thompson Valley kept the pressure on in the third quarter. All game, the Eagles’ intensity on both sides of the ball stymied Berthoud and by the second half the continued assault was too much.
“They were more aggressive, they were the tougher team as well and we got outplayed in every facet of the game,” Gibson said after the game.
With the Eagles leading 41-14 at the start of the fourth quarter and the game in hand for Thompson Valley, backups played the rest of the game.
Fortunately, there was a highlight for the Spartans when junior guard Sydney Slauson hit a very deep shot from downtown as the final buzzer sounded for three.
The final score was 50-28 with 14 of Berthoud’s points coming in the final frame. Slauson led the Spartans in scoring with seven points, followed by Pfohl with six. Ellie Harper and Holley Trombley each contributed four too.
“Things just snowballed. We have to rebound better defensively, but the toughness and aggressiveness is what we really need to work on. It really doesn’t have anything to do with strategy or offense or defense, it has to do with mindset and competitive spirit,” Gibson stated.
Four more away games await Berthoud starting with Northridge High School this Friday. The following week starts with a tournament in Steamboat Springs against Colorado Academy.