Roundup: Boys basketball team has rough start to season

It wasn’t the start to the season it wanted, but Boulder City High School’s boys basketball team certainly got what it asked for against 4A Green Valley in a tough 57-46 matchup Monday, Nov. 29.

“The way the schedule played out, we were only able to schedule two out-of-league games, so we’re happy to get to play this level of competition,” said head coach John Balistere. “Obviously we would have liked a different outcome, but we’ll take the experience and learn from this.”

Hanging tough with the Gators throughout the ball game, senior Hayden Sullivan led the way with 18 points. Senior Gavin Douglas added 9 points.

“This team is certainly different from our last team that made the state tournament, but we have a lot of good players,” Balistere said. “The expectations are no different for us this year; we expect to win another league title.”

Senior Martin Thompson added 6 points, and juniors Bruce Woodbury and Bret Pendleton each added 4 points.

Looking to gain as much experience as possible early on in the season, the Eagles will participate in the Lake Mead Invitational this weekend before heading to 4A Del Sol on Monday, Dec. 6.

They’ll start league play Wednesday, Dec. 8, with a home matchup against Somerset Losee.

Bowling

Starting off their season with a home match at Boulder Bowl, both Boulder City High School bowling programs fell to Spring Valley on Tuesday, Nov. 30.

Hanging tight with the Grizzlies, the boys lost 1,533-1,480, getting strong efforts from seniors Jason Bardol, who bowled a 543, and Williams Wallace, who bowled a 445.

Freshman Gavin Grace Hadad bowled a 246 for the boys.

For the girls, senior Quinlon Powers bowled a 375, and junior Karsen Jolley bowled a 298 in their 1,385-1,150 loss.

Freshman Madalyn Salas bowled a 277.

Looking to rebound from their opening season losses, Boulder City will host Western today, Dec. 2, at Boulder Bowl, followed by away matches at The Orleans on Tuesday, Dec. 7, and Sam’s Town on Wednesday, Dec. 8.

Flag football

Playing up in competition, Boulder City High School’s girls flag football team fell to 4A Basic 34-13 at home on Monday, Nov. 29.

Unable to keep up with the speed of the Wolves, the Lady Eagles hung tough throughout the first half before giving up a few big plays late.

“We played well with them in the first half,” said head coach Kevin Ruth. “They came out in the second half and had a few big plays and we just couldn’t keep up. This was a good test for us. I expect Basic to be one of the top teams in the 4A this season.”

Offensively for the Lady Eagles, junior Ava Payne rushed three times for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns, showing off her speed on a 60-yard dash.

At quarterback, junior Cheyenne Kirk completed 14 of 24 passing for 131 yards, while junior Elizabeth Wirthlin made seven tackles on defense.

The Lady Eagles will host Southeast Career Tech Academy today, Dec. 2, before hosting Foothill on Tuesday, Dec. 7, and Del Sol on Wednesday, Dec. 8.

“We really wanted to challenge ourselves early on and that’s why we schedule these games,” Ruth said. “Playing against higher competition is only going to make us a better team.”

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.