Boulder City wins championship with under-.500 record

During the regular season, Boulder City's boys basketball record barely qualified as average.

But the Eagles' performance Saturday night was anything but run of the mill.

Boulder City, which had a 13-16 regular-season record, scored the first 10 points and never trailed en route to a 62-46 victory over rival Moapa Valley in the Class 3A championship game at the Orleans Arena.

Finishing one win under .500, the Eagles (16-17) gained their first state boys basketball title since 1999.

"The kids believed in themselves all year long," Boulder City coach Bobby Reese said. "We were a No. 4 seed, but we were losing some tough games. The kids kept their heads up, kept battling. Today is a testament to that."

Shane Levin scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Jeremy Smith had 10 points and 14 rebounds as the Eagles used a balanced attack to fend off a second-quarter push by Moapa Valley (16-8) and pull away in the second half.

Six turnovers by Moapa Valley helped Boulder City take its 10-0 lead. The Eagles added a 9-0 run, capped by Preston Swasey's drive, to take a 24-11 lead with 3:39 left in the half.

Brad Weiss sank six straight free throws to trigger an 11-0 run that allowed Moapa Valley to close within 24-22 at the half.

But midway through the third quarter, Joey Felsenfeld scored five points during an 11-2 run that gave Boulder City a 37-26 lead. The Eagles built on the lead in the fourth.

"They made a run at us and we just continued to play defense," Reese said. "We played phenomenal defense."

The Pirates got as close as 49-41 on Weiss' 3-pointer, but baskets by Levin and Felsenfeld three seconds apart re-established a double-digit lead.

"Their kids worked hard," Moapa Valley coach Dallas Larsen said. "They came out and made some adjustments. They played a great game."

Swasey had 11 points for the Eagles, who split with Moapa Valley during the regular season and lost to the Pirates 63-55 in last week's Class 3A Southern League title game.

"I've never had a group of kids that has worked as hard as these kids," Reese said.

Weiss led the Pirates with 17 points, including an 8-for-8 effort from the free-throw line. Max Jenkins added 13 points for the Pirates, who made only 15 of 41 field-goal attempts.

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5230.