By DAVE BELCHER
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley High School Boys Basketball played last week on a concrete basketball floor in the Vegas Invitational at Mountain View High School in Las Vegas. The Pirates played a total of four games winning three of the four. Their only loss was to 4A Sierra Vista in the second game of the tournament.
The Pirates were matched up with Chadwick School from California in the first game. The Dolphins started the game with a hot hand as they sprinted out to a 20-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.
But Moapa Valley shook the rust off and began a long comeback cutting the Dolphin lead to 9-points by halftime. The lead was only 6-points by the start of the fourth quarter, 41-35.
Moapa Valley outscored Chadwick 21-10 in the final quarter to get the win.
Lucas Walker led the Pirate comeback with 15 points. Jessop Lake added 12 from inside while Cameron Reese chipped in 10-points.
The Pirates went to the free throw line nineteen times converting fifteen of them to help Moapa in the win. Chadwick shot just nine free throws for the game making five.
Next Moapa Valley played Sierra Vista a former 3A school moved back three years ago. The Mountain Lions are 6-5 overall and 0-3 in the Southwest.
Both teams started the game finding the basket as the Pirates held a 16-15 lead by the end of the quarter.
Then Sierra Vista began to press. They went on a 10-points scoring spree caused by turnovers while the Pirates struggled to move the ball up the floor. Sierra Vista scored three consecutive layups and took a 9-point lead early.
By the time the game finished the Pirates had turned the ball over twenty times leading to 26 Mountain Lion points.
Sierra Vista outscored the Pirates 21-8 in the second quarter for a double digit lead. It was 36-24 at halftime then 58-28 by the end of the third quarter. The final score was 77-51.
Moapa Valley had no one scoring in double figures while Sierra Vista finished with four.
Valton Mesic and Isaiah Veal each scored 17-points to lead the Mountain Lions Antonio McCoy finished with 15 and Calvin Richards scored 12-points.
Sierra Vista later forfeited the next two games because in the semi-final they and Bonanza got into a fight causing a double forfeit. Each team was given a loss then had to forfeit their next game.
Friday’s game was against Sky Pointe which the Pirates handled easily with a 82-39 win. The game was a one point game after the first quarter, 13-12 Moapa Valley. The Pirates then broke the game open with a 26-11 run in the second quarter and a 25-10 run in the third quarter.
Lake finished as the team leader in points with 14. Chase Hoy scored 12 while Walker and Destry Jones each scored 10-points. The Pirates had thirteen 3-pointers in the game.
Danny Cox lead Sky Pointe with 10-points.
Moapa played Spring Mountain in the consolation championship and beat the Golden Eagles 62-56. This game was a battle throughout. Moapa Valley held a 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Spring Mountain cut the lead in half by halftime, out scoring the Pirates 15-13 in the 2nd quarter. Moapa Valley led 33-31.
The Pirates held a 6-point lead by the end of the third quarter and matched the Golden Eagles with 18-points apiece in the fourth for the win.
Josh Cox led the Pirates with 14-points. Walker and Reese each added 11-points.
Robert Arccenaux was the leading scorer in the game with 22-points for Spring Mountain.
The Pirates play one game this week, Friday night against the Virgin Valley Bulldogs. The Dawgs are 0-9 so far this year while the Pirates are 9-6 overall. This will be both schools’ first league game of the season.
