Boulder City boys slip past Meadows

Boulder City boys basketball coach Bobby Reese wore the face of a losing coach as he left the floor Friday night.

His team had just beaten The Meadows 80-66 on the road, but Reese wasn't sold.

"We have to play with greater defensive intensity," said Reese, whose team trailed for most of the first half. "We didn't have that intensity in the first half. In the second half we did. It gets frustrating."

The Eagles' Shane Levin managed 22 points, five rebounds and two steals, but even he admitted his team did not play up to expectations.

"There was a lot of joking and fooling around before the game," said Levin, whose team beat the Mustangs by 16 points in a tournament game Dec. 5. "I think everyone was feeling a little cocky."

It showed early, with Max Newman scoring 11 of his team-high 20 points to help The Meadows build a 31-21 lead late in the first half.

Momentum began to turn in the final minute of the half when the Eagles' Preston Swasey made a layup and a foul shot to ignite a 9-0 spurt. The Mustangs clung to a 35-30 lead at the half.

"I had a nice, polite conversation with my players at halftime," Reese said.

Boulder City (7-3) responded by taking over in the third quarter, dominating the backboards 11-2 and going ahead for good on a 3-pointer by Joey Western. An 11-0 run gave the Eagles a 54-47 lead, and The Meadows' six-man roster began to show signs of fatigue.

Western had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and teammate Alex Dillon added 12 of his 13 points in the second half.

Garrett Gosse scored 18 to lead The Meadows (3-6).