Roundup: Tourney helps girls build for future

After finishing 2-1 in the Lake Mead Holiday Classic, Boulder City High School girls basketball head coach Lisa Foster said she is happy with her team’s play.

Defeating Lincoln County 45-33 on Dec. 5 and rival Moapa Valley 30-20 on Friday, Dec. 6, the Lady Eagles earned a pair of building-block victories for the future. Maybe more importantly, the team’s lone loss to undefeated Calvary Chapel Christian 34-30 on Saturday, Dec. 7, was inspiring for Foster and her ball club, given the overall team defense they played on the Lions.

“I thought the girls played an incredible game,” Foster said. “Their two high scorers were kept in check, as well as their whole team. Calli (Williams) and Keely (Alexander) did a really great job on their two best players defensively. The team as a whole played incredible defense. It was a good game for us. One or two calls go our way or maybe another layup falls and we have it. I wasn’t too upset with the loss.”

The Lions’ two top scorers, senior Tyra Perkins and sophomore Olivia Bell, dropped 30 and 27 points, respectively, on Virgin Valley the night before, offering a measuring stick for the Lady Eagles defense to compare.

Solid on defense, the offense, at times, still needs to find its groove collectively. Seniors Keely Alexander (14 points) and Ellie Howard (12 points) have shown they’re already in midseason form. Against Lincoln County, Howard scored a game-high 20 points, while Alexander scored 15 points. Junior Calli Williams scored 6 points.

Against Moapa Valley, Howard, Alexander and Williams scored 7 points each.

Building momentum after the holiday tournament, the Lady Eagles opened league play with a statement 51-19 victory over SLAM Academy on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

“It feels really good to start league play with a victory,” Foster said. “We had a lot of younger girls step up tonight and make good use of the minutes they were given.”

Leading the way for the Lady Eagles, Howard scored 15 points and Alexander scored 10 points. Freshman Rose Randal had a breakout game with 7 points.

Adding depth for Boulder City, Williams scored 6 points and sophomore Samantha Bahde scored 5 points.

Back in action at home this week, Boulder City will host 4A Canyon Springs tonight, Dec. 12, followed by Sunrise Mountain on Friday, Dec. 13.

Wrestling

Traveling to California for the LA Costa Canyon Classic Dec. 6-7, Boulder City High School wrestling finished 17th out of 55 teams.

A highly competitive tournament the Eagles have become accustomed to attending, Boulder City wrestled against opponents from Nevada, Arizona, California and Colorado.

Highlighting the trip for the boys, senior 195-pound wrestler Ladd Cox finished fifth with a 6-2 record. Freshman Hunter Moore (152 pounds) finished 4-2 and senior Curtis Brown (152 pounds) finished 3-2.

Battling their way back in the Hard Luck Tournament after early defeats in the Canyon Classic, senior Rafe Escheveria (220 pounds) placed first in the rebound bracket with a 2-3 record.

Wrestling 4A Durango on Dec. 4, the Eagles defeated the Trailblazers 51-22, scoring 51 unanswered points after losing their first four matches.

Results from the Eagles’ tri-dual with 4A Bonanza and 3A Cheyenne on Wednesday, Dec. 11, will appear in next week’s issue.

Bowling

Hosting Mojave at Boulder Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 10, Boulder City High School boys bowling team picked up a decisive victory.

Routing the Rattlers, 1,697-1,435, William Wallace led the way with a score of 507; Jamison Kaboli bowled a 446.

Gabriel Castellanos (264), Spencer Torgesen (262) and Justin Jolley (206) boosted the team’s efforts.

Unable to match the boys results, the Lady Eagles fell to Mojave 908-655. Leading the way, Karsen Jolley bowled a 230 and Valerie Chavez bowled a 226.

Defeating SLAM Academy on Dec. 5 1,828-1,480, Kaboli bowled a 536, Wallace bowled a 506 and Torgesen bowled a 432.

SLAM does have a girls team but Karsen Jolley bowled a 341 on the day to get some extra practice.

The Eagles are back in action today, Dec. 12, against Somerset Academy Losee at Texas Station.

U.S. Open Swimming Championship

Competing in the U.S. Open Swim Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, class of 2010 Boulder City High School graduate Zane Grothe finished in the top six of both of his events.

Competing in the 800-meter freestyle on Dec. 4, Grothe finished third with a time of 7:51.53. The United States record holder in the event, Grothe’s personal best came July 29, 2018, with a time of 7:44.57.

Placing sixth in the 400-meter freestyle on Dec. 5, Grothe finished with a time of 3:52.41.