Starting league play with a 0-3 record, Boulder City High School boys basketball coach John Balistere wasn’t afraid to point out the Eagles’ areas of concern.
“We are having some mental breakdowns defensively late in games,” Balistere said. “As a group, we’re really struggling shooting the ball and so much of that is confidence. We will keep getting after it, and hopefully it will translate into some wins. Our guys keep battling though, very proud of that.”
Falling short on the road against Del Sol on Tuesday 56-31, the Eagles also suffered a pair of losses last week, 75-62 on Jan. 4 to Virgin Valley ad 61-56 on Friday to Southeast Career Technical Academy.
Doing their best to guide the Eagles to their first league victory, senior forward Justus Green recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds, and 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Bulldogs and Roadrunners, respectively, while junior guard Carson Balistere added 15 points and five rebounds, and 14 points and six rebounds in each contest.
The Eagles travel to Moapa Valley on Friday.
Girls Basketball
Playing their best basketball of the season on Tuesday, freshman guards Keely Alexander and Madisan Manns led the Lady Eagles past Del Sol 45-16 for their second league victory.
“The girls really picked it up on defense tonight,” head coach Paul Dosch said. “We caused turnovers all night and attacked the basket. We played really solid team defense; It was a good win for us.”
Forcing 25 turnovers on the night, Manns led the way defensively with nine steals, along with nine points and seven rebounds. Scoring a season-high 18 points, Alexander led the Lady Eagles offensively to their most lopsided victory of the season.
Picking up a 38-28 victory against Southeast Career Technical Academy on Friday, senior forward Julia Worrall had her best game of the season, scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Hannah Estes also had her best game of the season with 10 points. Estes also scored seven points Tuesday night.
“We’re playing really good team defense, which is creating turnovers that helped jump-start our offense successfully,” Worrall said. “I think we’ve played really well as a team.”
The Lady Eagles dropped their league opener Jan. 4 to Virgin Valley 50-22.
Looking to keep their early season momentum alive, the Lady Eagles travel to Moapa Valley on Friday, then Chaparral on Monday.
Bowling
Trending in different positions coming back from the holiday break, the Boulder City High School boys bowling program dug deep for a win Tuesday over Southeast Career Technical Academy in their final match at The Wildfire, while the girls will have to wait until next time to beat the Roadrunners.
“I thought both programs did a nice job today,” head coach Rodney Ball said. “The boys pulled out a tough one and showed a lot of heart, while the girls fought hard despite still having work to do. I’m hopeful to get both teams figured out come playoff time.”
Down by 31 pins following two matches, the Eagles outscored the Roadrunners 704-649 in their final match to claim a 2,097-2,073 victory.
Leading the Eagles in scoring was senior Ed Rassuchine, who totaled 571 pins, while senior Samu Jancuk bowled 549. Senior Connor Armstrong followed with 510 pins, while sophomore Sam Holt bowled a 467.
Starting off the new year with a loss, the Lady Eagles weren’t able to overcome the firepower of the Roadrunners, falling 1,995-1,713.
Leading the way for the Lady Eagles was senior Abigail Harling, who bowled 486, followed by junior Bailey Bennett-Jordan with a score of 430.
Senior Alexis Cable finished with a score of 424, while freshman Christina Smith finished with 373.
Hoping for better showings against the Cowboys, both programs travel to Sam’s Town today to take on Chaparral.
Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.
Upcoming Events
Boys Basketball
Friday, at Moapa Valley, 3:30 p.m. junior varsity; 6:30 p.m. varsity
Girls Basketball
Friday, at Moapa Valley, 3:30 p.m. junior varsity, 5 p.m. varsity
Bowling
Today, vs. Chaparral at Sam’s Town, 3 p.m.