Eagles split a pair of games this week

Splitting a pair of league games this past week, Boulder City High School boys basketball sits in third place in the 3A league standings.

Advancing to 15-10 on the season, the boys fell in a tough defeat to rival Virgin Valley 68-60 on Jan. 30, after throttling Coral Academy, 63-19, on Jan. 28.

“Splitting last week makes this upcoming week even more important,” head coach John Balistere said. “We need to get a few wins and keep the third seed for the postseason. Despite the loss, I still like what we’re doing as a team. This is a young group, I’m hopeful they can learn and bounce back from this.”

Unable to overcome self-inflicted wounds, the Eagles missed 11 free throws against Virgin Valley, in a game that came down to the wire in a ruckus road environment.

“That was a playoff atmosphere out there,” Balistere said. “The crowd was great, lots of energy. We just have to do a better job taking care of the little things. Missed free throws were big for us. Couple of shots didn’t fall. Even with all our mistakes, we had chances to win, which is encouraging.”

Doing his best to keep the Eagles afloat offensively, Kason Turner scored a team-high 20 points, knocking down six three-pointers.

Tyler Bradshaw added 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Branch Danko added eight points and four rebounds.

Having better luck against Coral Academy, the Eagles were clicking on all cylinders offensively, turning their great defensive pressure into easy transition baskets.

“We’re at our best when we’re active on the defensive end,” Balistere said. “It allows us to spread out our offensive, get guys in transition and get easy looks. It really helps us get guys in rhythm.”

Dishing out 17 assists collectively, Levi Randall led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Bradshaw added 17 points and three assists.

Facilitating the offense, Turner recorded six assists, while Danko added eight points and four assists.

Adding a scoring punch, Miles Alder scored eight points, while Seamus Lemon had five.

Looking to end the regular season on a high note, the Eagles will travel to rival Pahrump Valley on Friday.