Eagles aim to move up in standings
An up-be-down week for Boulder City High School boys basketball saw them finish with a 1-2 record in this past week’s slate.
Dominating league opponent Coral Academy 65-31 on Jan. 7, the Eagles let a league game slip away against rival Virgin Valley on Jan. 9, in a 57-47 defeat.
The Eagles rounded out play against 4A Sunrise Mountain on the road in a 71-46 defeat on Jan. 12.
“There were times this last week I thought we looked good and other times I thought we needed to improve,” head coach John Balistere said. “We’ve got some guys who are currently dealing with injuries and sickness, so getting them healthy is something to look forward to. We just have to do a better job of finishing games and not letting opportunities slip away.”
Finishing strong against Coral Academy, forward Branch Danko and Levi Randall performed their best Doublemint Twins impressions, having identical stat lines of 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
“I thought both of them did a great job in all aspects of the game,” Balistere said. “What stood out was their ability to kick the ball back outside to open shooters when they were getting doubled. That’s going to be a strength of ours if we can continue to do it.”
Unable to close out strong against Virgin Valley, the rival Bulldogs eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 17-11 advantage.
Continuing to break out this season, Randall scored 17 points with 13 rebounds, while Tyler Bradshaw added 13 points.
Danko scored eight points, with eight rebounds and three assists.
“I thought we played well against Virgin,” Balistere said. “We had opportunities going down the stretch to win. They played a really good game against us. I like the matchups we have against them, it’s going to be interesting the next time we play.”
Facing opponents in higher classes is a chance to sharpen their skill. In doing so. Bradshaw led the way 13 points and three assists against Sunrise Mountain.
Danko added nine points with seven rebounds, while Noah Lund added five points.
Currently fourth in league standings, the Eagles will host Pahrump Valley on Friday, followed by a road game at Cristo Rey on Tuesday and home game against The Meadows on Wednesday.
