Eagles dominate in first-round playoff win

Boulder City High School boys basketball opened postseason play with a bang on Feb. 12, cruising past rival Virgin Valley 72-45.

Jumping out to a 30-12 halftime lead, the Eagles never trailed in the ball game.

“Any win is a good win,” head coach John Balistere said. “I thought our defense was very solid in the first half. We really did a good job of limiting open looks.”

Leading the way for the Eagles, senior Roman Rose scored a game-high 24 points with seven rebounds and two assists.

Getting quality minutes from their starting five, junior Luke Wright scored 18 points with six rebounds and three steals, while junior Sean Pendleton scored nine points, with six assists and three steals.

Junior Jack Walker added eight points with 11 rebounds, while junior Easton Welbourne added eight points with seven assists.

“Our starting five is really good,” Balistere said. “Thankfully, we have guys off the bench that contribute, but our starters don’t really get into foul trouble. Being able to play smart allows them to spend more time on the floor. I couldn’t ask for more from them. They play so hard on every possession. They love to compete.”

Currently riding a three-game winning streak, the Eagles have rebounded nicely since their defeat to The Meadows on Feb. 2.

Closing out the regular season strong, the Eagles defeated Pahrump Valley 71-64 on Feb. 7, behind 20 points from Wright and 18 points from Rose.

“I’m happy with the way we bounced back,” Balistere said. “We won 20 games this season. We feel like we’re one of the better teams that should still be playing. We know if we play to our abilities, we have a chance to win.”

Heading into the second round of the postseason, extended coverage of the Eagles’ run will appear in next week’s issue.

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.