Basic narrowly escapes upset

By Sean Ammerman

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009 | 12:06 a.m.

Boulder City's boys' basketball team went into Basic High School Monday night looking to avenge its 15-point loss to the Wolves earlier this season.

For most of the fourth quarter it looked as though the class 3A school would upset Basic, which competes in the large-school 4A class.

However, a succession of three unanswered Basic 3-pointers in the final minutes quieted the Eagles and Basic nudged out a 50-47 victory.

"I was just telling the team to calm down and play our game," said Basic guard Tyler Dobbins, whose 3-pointer with 2:30 remaining gave the Wolves a 46-45 lead. "At the end of the game I like to have the ball in my hands. I just try to make plays and luckily this time it was a 3-pointer."

Guard Vince Carducci made Basic's other two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help erase a five point Boulder City lead.

Wolves coach Steve Bentz was happy to escape with the win, but said his team lacked energy for much of the game.

"We got tired and made some mistakes we usually don't make," Bentz said. "But this was a good win to get all the bugs out before we get back into league play."

Basic first met Boulder City this season in the finals of the Lake Mead Holiday Classic on Dec. 6, when it cruised to a 58-43 victory.

Monday's rematch began in similar fashion as the Wolves took control early.

Basic went on an 11-2 run in the second quarter to take a 26-13 lead.

But Boulder City responded with a 10-0 run of its own to bring the deficit down to three points by halftime.

The Wolves were hurt when their 6-foot-6 forward, James Holmes, got into foul trouble and headed to the bench midway through the second quarter.

Boulder City forward Jeremy Smith took advantage of Holmes' absence and finished with 12 points, most of which came in the paint.

A 3-pointer from Boulder City guard Joey Western at the end of the third quarter tied the game at 38.

"We knew this would be a fun game and that it would come down to the wire," Boulder City coach Bobby Reese said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win and that's all I can ask for."

Western was a threat from the perimeter all night, as he finished with a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers.

He had two near-misses from behind the arc in the final seconds that almost gave Boulder City a victory.

Instead, Basic's defense came up with the rebounds it needed to seal the win.

"When you play a team a second time after you beat them, they always come out stronger," Bentz said. "I knew our guys needed to come to play."

Sean Ammerman can be reached at 990-2661 or [email protected].