Grapplers finish regular season with win over 4A opponent

By Brent Hinckley

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 | midnight

There is an air of excitement around the Boulder City High wrestling room.

Nearly two weeks after compiling a perfect record against 3A Southern League competition in the regular season, the Eagles are ready to prove it was no fluke at the league tournament on Feb. 7 at Boulder City.

"The kids are excited and we're trying not to freak out. We've got our blinders on and we're just looking to that first match on Saturday," co-head coach Kevin Ruth said.

The Eagles wrapped up their season with a 60-21 win against Foothill on Jan. 29. Boulder City won 10 of 14 matches, with all but one win coming as a result of pinfall.

"They were missing some kids, but we came out fired up and did what we needed to do," Ruth said.

Boulder City is the favorite to win the league's team title and several wrestlers are expected to win individual titles.

Co-head coach Jim Cox said they're trying not to focus on winning a team championship.

"That perfect record is in the past," Cox said. "We have to do our best. It's realistic that we can win, but anything can happen. We have to take care of our business."

Leading the way is junior Allan Haines, who won a division championship last season and hopes to repeat.

"I'm pretty confident. I have the experience and I'm really excited," said Haines, who competes in the 135-pound division. "It's going to be hard. I've heard people are coming after me."

Boulder City qualified nine wrestlers for state last year and seven of them returned this year.

"It makes a big difference. The first time they might have been a little bit overwhelmed. Now, they've been there and know what to do," Ruth said.

The Eagles host the tournament, which starts at 11 a.m.

Boys basketball starts a winning streak

Boulder City High senior forward Jeremy Smith believes the team's 53-37 win against Moapa Valley will be a turning point in the season.

"It was the first time we came together in awhile and we played really great the first three quarters. Now, if we can play all four we'll be pretty comfortable," Smith said.

Boulder City won back-to-back games to snap a seven-game losing streak. The first win was a 74-44 win against Adelson School on Jan. 27, followed by the win at Moapa Valley on Jan. 30.

"The kids played phenomenal defense. It's just important to get some wins. Their attitude is a lot different. Their hard work paid off," Boulder City coach Bobby Reese said.

Junior Preston Swasey led Boulder City with 11 points with seniors Joey Western and Alex Dillon each adding 10.

Boulder City held a 14-2 lead after the first quarter and built on it through the third quarter, taking a 41-21 lead into the fourth quarter.

Eagles girls hoops drops late-season road game

With two games left before the 3A Southern League tournament, Boulder City High girls basketball coach Brian Lemmel said he's still trying to find some answer's following the team's 46-36 loss to Moapa Valley on Jan. 30

"We continue to beat our selves," he said. "We're going to look for the right combination of players that make the fewest mistakes."

Caiti Forrester paced the Eagles with 22 points, but she was the only player in double digits. The Eagles dropped to 2-2 in league play in a tie for second place with Moapa Valley.

"We haven't figured out as a group how to win," Forrester said.

The Pirates dominated the second and third quarters of the game, outscoring Boulder City 28-12.

"We weren't playing together at the beginning, then we came together for a bit, then we weren't meshing again and it went downhill," Forrester said. "It's disappointing to prepare like that and not perform."

With nearly a week to prepare for Faith Lutheran on Feb. 6 and a week to get ready for Virgin Valley on Feb. 13, Lemmel said he plans to use the time to prepare the Eagles for the league tournament.

"We are using the next two weeks to figure out how we can win the tournament," Lemmel said. "When we win on Friday it will prove it was time well spent."

Junior varsity girls team stays perfect

While the varsity girls basketball squad struggled at Moapa Valley, the Eagles junior varsity team improved to 14-0 on the season with a 39-27win against the Pirates.

"They're an easy group to coach, and we're having a lot of fun," junior varsity coach Harry Gibb said. "The program is going to be in really good shape for the next three years."

Freshman Taylor McKeever is averaging 10.6 points per game, while sophomore Ariel O'Neill averages 9.2 points and freshman Ali Rants averages 8.2 points to lead the Eagles.

Lemmel said the strong play by the junior varsity as well as the freshman team, which finished with a perfect 10-0 record, is indiction the program is going in the right direction.

"They work hard and play smart. They've shown the ability to make adjustments in mid-game," Lemmel said. "There's tons of potential for the future."

Members of the team include: juniors Alexas Cota, Bridget Ward, sophomores Sylvia Combs, Indiana Mead, Bree Morang, Dana Prach, O'Neill, McKeever and Rants.

Both bowling teams battle for playoff spots

Boulder City High's boys and girls bowling teams are battling for playoff positions as the season winds down.

"I foresee both teams making the regionals, but it's going to depend on that last match against Chaparral," coach Rodney Ball said.

Boulder City has two matches left in the regular season, both on the road. It faces Desert Pines at the Silver Nugget on Feb. 5, then Chaparral at Sam's Town on Feb. 9.

The boys team is trying to make a late season push for a playoff berth, while the girls team hopes to hold on to its fourth seed.

Boulder City's boys are 2-2 in their last four matches including a 9-0 win against Eldorado on Jan. 29. Ryan Warshefski had a 221 game in his 590 series to lead the Eagles. However, that win was followed by a 5-4 loss to Chaparral on Feb. 2.

Meanwhile, the girls lost 9-0 to Eldorado, despite a 187 game and 468 series from Katie Barbee led the Eagles, then rebounded with a 9-0 win against Chaparral.

The region tournament is Feb. 12 and 13 at The Orleans.

Brent Hinckley is the Boulder City News sports writer and can be reached at 990-7822 or [email protected].