By Vern Hee – Special to the Pahrump Valley Times

BEATTY — Many of the residents in Beatty are very proud of their state-bound high school girls basketball team and support the Hornets in every way possible.

“I support the team when they are at home and go to the games. When they are away we watch our gas. I do not have children but I coached the kid’s softball league last year,” said resident Jackie Sullivan.

“You have to be proud of what you do. I know Alamo is tough. We are fans of Shankira Venizio. Aimee senior has been coach for some years. She is also an amazing teacher. My daughter is in her class and she wants to go to school because Senior is her teacher,” said Sarah Willis of Beatty.

Crystal Taylor of the Happy Burro loves the girls’ basketball team at Beatty and said, “I pay attention to what’s going on because I have a son in high school and the coaches come in here and tell me.

”The sports for the high school here is huge because it gives them something to do besides roaming the town. We are really excited for the girls’ basketball team …”

Coach Aimee Senior and her lady Hornets earned that respect and praise by advancing to the Nevada Class A State tournament semifinals. On Friday at 2:20 p.m., they will play Wells, 23-6 and the Northern champion, in the Lawlor Events Center on the University of Nevada campus in Reno.

Wells is 340 miles northeast of Reno in Elko County, 63 miles west of Wendover and 540 miles north of Las Vegas. Its population is similar to Beatty and is around 1,200 residents.

Lady Hornets making the trip to Reno will be seniors Teresa Gomez and Amber Ibarra, juniors Ginny Cathcart, Melynda Gross, Benita Rodriguez and Shankara Venezio, sophomore Christian Thompson and freshmen Eaire Davis and Nallely Erives. Senior took only six girls to the regionals, but still came away with two wins in three games.

Senior said her scouting report on Wells — which won two Class B state titles in the mid 1980s — revealed, “Wells is has no height but they rely on their speed much like Tonopah did.

”We are preparing by making our defense quicker and our press,” said Senior. ”We also will be working on our shooting. We have to make those short little baskets under the basket.

Senior went on to add, “On offense, we will rely on Ibarra and Gross on the inside. We also hope that Ana Martinez can step up and shoot more. On defense we will depend on Shankara Venizio to be the stopper and Martinez and Christina Thompson.”

In addition, Senior’s scouting said that the Wells’ guards are good outside shooters. This means the lady Hornets must spread out their defense.

Senior said they will get Thompson back. She was not at regionals because she was at a funeral and they added a freshman to the roster to give them eight.

Senior, in her 19th season as a coach, praised Steve Sullivan, her assistant coach for working hard with forwards on defense and offense. She said his coaching skills have elevated the play of her forwards. Sullivan is a former standout Beatty athlete and his sister Diana, sparked Beatty to state championships in 1994 and 1995. A brother, Greg, was a standout distance runner in the early 2000s. Their father is Gus Sullivan, the Beatty justice of the peace.