By DAVE BELCHER
Moapa Valley Progress
Last week started rough for the Moapa Valley High School Boys Basketball team. They hosted Shadow Ridge on Wednesday, December 12 for the second time the Pirates and Mustangs had faced off in less than a week. The first had been a Mustang win in Mesquite in the Bulldog Invitational the previou week. This second game didn’t go well either. It ended with a 69-29 blow out by Shadow Ridge.
The Mustangs started the game with a 9-0 run in the first three minutes. Lucas Walker finally scored the first bucket for Moapa with five minutes to play in the first quarter.
Shadow Ridge would then have a ten point run pushing the lead to 19-2. Moapa would score five points in the final 90 seconds before the Mustangs scored again to end the first quarter with a 21-7 Mustang lead.
The Mustangs started the second quarter with a three pointer followed by a layup building a 26-7 lead before a Moapa Valley timeout by coach Humes trying to stop the bleeding.
Derek Reese scored a layup and was fouled after the timeout. He converted the free throw for a three point play. It was one of four free throws the Pirates would make the whole game in 14 attempts.
The Mustangs would lead 28-13 with 5:11 to play in the first half. Shadow Ridge outscored the Pirates 22-14 in the second quarter for a 43-21 lead by half time.
The third quarter was all Shadow Ridge. They outscored the Pirates 20-6 building a huge 42-point lead. Three Mustangs finished the game with double figures in scoring. Josiah Cruz scored 14 while Quinshon McGee and Garin Mcfarlin each added 10.
Reese and Walker led the Pirates with 8-points a piece.
On Friday night Moapa Valley travelled to Pahrump for a game against the Trojans. Jessup Lake started with a layup and a free throw for a Moapa 3-0 lead.
Pahrump went on a seven point run holding the Pirates scoreless for the last three minutes of the first quarter and taking a 9-8 lead.
The Trojans would push the lead to four before a Pirate three-pointer and free throw tied the game and regained the lead. The Pirates would lead 23-20 at halftime. Each team scored 11-points in the third quarter for a 34-31 Moapa Valley lead headed into the fourth quarter.
The Trojans would tie the game after sinking a jumper and free throw with 6:45 to play. Lake would give the Pirates a one point lead with two free throws. The Trojans tied the game at 43 with made free throws of their own at 1:47 to play.
A missed Reese free throw was rebounded and passed to Cox who hit a three giving the Pirates a 46-43 lead with 1:21 to play.
After a couple missed threes by the Trojans, Walker was fouled . He went to the free throw line and made both free throws with 37 seconds remaining.
Another missed three and put-back for Pahrump Valley forced them to foul Lake who made both of his free throws for a 50-45 lead with 5 seconds.
The Trojans missed another shot and, after a Trojan time out, they fouled Lake again with 3.5 seconds remaining. Lake made both for a 52-45 Pirate win.
Lake finished with 14-points to lead the Pirates. Reese added 10. Grant Odeguard lead the Trojans with 17-points while Chance Farnsworth scored 15.
The Pirates will travel to Alamo this Friday night to play the Panthers in a 7:30 game.
