Basic turns up pressure to roll by Boulder City

Basic boys basketball coach Leonard Taylor pulled all five of his starters midway through the third quarter Monday so he could give them an earful.

The Wolves received the message, loud and clear.

Basic’s starters triggered a 10-2 run late in the third quarter to blow open what had been a seven-point game, and the host Wolves cruised to a 68-47 victory over Boulder City.

“We’re a high-energy team, and we came out flat (in the second half). We were walking the ball up the court, and that’s not the style of offense we run,” Taylor said. “We played team basketball at the end of the third quarter. We came together. It wasn’t one guy who got hot and was making shots, it was every guy making the extra pass.”

Josh Villaros led the Wolves (3-0) with 22 points and had three rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals.

Robert Sutton had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Basic, which forced 31 turnovers.

Boulder City (4-2) cut an 11-point halftime deficit to 40-33 on a 3-pointer by Trenton Carmell with 5:24 remaining in the third quarter before the Wolves regained control thanks to their pressure defense.

Two straight turnovers by the Eagles resulted in layups for Basic. Villaros made a 3-pointer to give the Wolves a 13-point lead, and Matthew Esplin capped the spurt with a 3-pointer to put Basic up 50-35 with 48 seconds to go in the third quarter.

“We’re an undersized team, but we’re as scrappy and as physical as can be,” Taylor said. “For us to have the success we want, we have to get out every day and get after it and stay aggressive.”

Basic put away the game with an 18-3 run in the fourth quarter and led by as many as 26 points late.

Zach Murphy paced Boulder City with 15 points and added eight rebounds. Tyler Newby finished with 12 points.

The Eagles struggled against Basic’s full-court press in the first quarter, committing 11 of their 18 first-half turnovers. Villaros and Sutton each scored four points during a 14-0 run that helped give Basic a 20-10 advantage at the end of the period.

Carmell and Eric Roe each pulled down nine rebounds for Boulder City, which shot 34 percent (16 for 47) from the field and was 2 for 12 on 3-pointers.

Basic, which also got eight points and five boards from Jared Meacham, hosts Canyon Springs at 6:30 tonight.

“That will be a test for us,” Taylor said.

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.