3A BOYS: Boulder City’s ‘awesome’ run reaches final

Joey Western couldn’t stop smiling outside the Boulder City locker room.

Describing his team’s run from last place in the Class 3A Southern League to the state championship game, the senior guard used “amazing,” “awesome” and “cool” in the same sentence.

“I’ve never felt something like that before in my life,” Western said. “We’ve worked so hard, and we deserve it.”

Western scored 24 points to help the Eagles hold on for a 59-56 upset over North No. 1 seed Lowry in a 3A state semifinal Friday at Desert Oasis High School.

Boulder City (15-17), the second seed from the South, will meet Moapa Valley (15-8) for the state title at 8:20 p.m. today at the Orleans Arena.

The Eagles led by 16 points in the second quarter, but the Buckaroos rallied to within 48-47 late in the fourth. That’s when Boulder City rattled off six unanswered points for a 54-47 lead in the final minute.

“(Lowry) kept fighting us and battling us and wouldn’t quit,” Boulder City coach Bobby Reese said. “We got a little passive and weren’t so aggressive on the offensive end. They took advantage of that.”

Western, though, said he wasn’t all that concerned.

“We weren’t too nervous,” he said. “We knew we would pull it out.”

Jeremy Smith scored 14 points and Shane Levin 11 for the Eagles.

Danny Westfall led Lowry (18-10) with 12 points. James Walton and Thomas Andrew Stephen scored 10 apiece.

Only last week, Boulder City was a team with a 2-4 league record, carrying the fourth and final seed into the 3A Southern League tournament.

But the Eagles have won two of three since then and are one victory from their first state crown since 1999.

“It’s not like we were a four seed getting pounded every night,” Reese said of league play. “We were a four seed losing tough games every single night.

“In league, we would have lost this game. Now we’re able to finish it and hang on.”

What will it take for the Eagles to complete their Cinderella run with a state title?

“We’ve got to play a great game,” Western said. “No turnovers. We’ve just got to be strong with the ball.”

Moapa Valley 67, Spring Creek 52 — Even after his team took a 33-23 halftime lead, Moapa Valley coach Dallas Larsen thought more work had to be done.

“I told the kids, we have a history of letting leads dwindle,” Larsen said. “So when we went out in the third quarter, our emphasis was to finish the job we started in the second.”

The Pirates responded, expanding the lead to 25 points early in the fourth quarter.

Max Jenkins scored 19 points to lead Moapa Valley, which today will play for its first state title since 2003. Shaun Hilton scored 16 points and Brad Weiss 10.

Moapa Valley and Boulder City split two games during the regular season before Moapa Valley won the league tournament final, 63-55.

“We play each other in summer camp at Dixie State, twice in league, once in a (league) championship game,” Larsen said. “All those don’t mean anything until (today). It’s going to be a physical game.”

David Morrell scored 15 points and Brett Pickett 10 for Spring Creek (13-16).