Vegas Invite: Bonanza, Sierra Vista forfeit game after tempers flare

The Bonanza and Sierra Vista boys basketball teams started Friday evening competing for a spot in the championship game of Mountain View’s Vegas Invitational.

The night and the tournament ended early for both teams.

Trash talking between players led to harsher words and pushing and shoving just after the first-half buzzer, and officials suspended the game. The Southern Nevada Officials Association ruled the game a double forfeit later Friday.

Both teams will sit out Saturday’s final day of the tournament.

“In talking with the officials, they suspended the game, and in my view rightfully so,” SNOA commissioner Marc Ratner said.

With Sierra Vista set to take a 34-29 lead into halftime, words were exchanged between Sierra Vista senior Antonio McCoy and Bonanza senior Trent Savage in front of the Bengals’ bench.

The players shoved each other, and with both teams already emptying onto the floor to head to the locker room, players quickly congregated but no punches were thrown.

As Bonanza coach Dan Savage and Sierra Vista coach Eric Markuson attempted to separate their players and get them off the floor, officials suspended the game, ruling a bench-clearing incident.

“I thought we had the right crew, a state tournament-caliber crew on the game, and they handled it appropriately,” Ratner said.

Markuson was Bonanza’s boys coach from 2012 until December 2015. Dan Savage was the girls coach at Bonanza at the time and was asked to take over the boys program.

Trent Savage was a freshman at Bonanza at the time.

“I think my son was targeted because I replaced (Markuson),” Dan Savage said. “And several times during the game, it was clear that players were overly aggressive or overly physical. And it boiled over.”

Markuson declined comment.

“Before the game, I told my guys, ‘This is their Super Bowl. This is their World Series. This is their biggest game of his coaching career,’ and I’m sure he implored that to his kids, and that’s fine,” Dan Savage said. “And I told my guys, ‘This is the semifinals of the Vegas Invitational and nothing more.’ Those emotions were clear.”

Moapa Valley 82, Sky Pointe 39 — Jessup Lake scored 14 points to help the Pirates pull away from the Eagles in a consolation game.

Chase Hoy added 12 points for Moapa Valley, which led 39-23 at the half and used a 15-0 third-quarter run to pull away.

Destry Jones and Lucas Walker each added 10 points for the Pirates, who made 13 3-pointers.

Danny Cox led Sky Pointe with 10 points.

Spring Mountain 63, Sierra Lutheran 58 — Josiah Johnson scored 22 points to help the Golden Eagles hold off the Falcons in a consolation game.

Robert Arcenaux added 14 points for Spring Mountain, which started the second half on a 12-2 run to build a 38-30 lead and still led 59-48 late in the third quarter before the Falcons pulled to within 61-58 with 40 seconds left.

Arcenaux hit two free throws with 9.7 to play to preserve the win.

Zane Warkentin led Sierra Lutheran with 25 points, including six 3-pointers, and teammate Hunter Lamprecht scored 16.

Capistrano Valley Christian (Calif.) 71, Pahrump Valley 40 — Festus Ndumanya scored 14 of his 29 points in the first quarter as the Eagles rolled to an early 25-6 lead and cruised by the Trojans in a consolation game.

Brayden Severt and Chance Farnsworth each scored 10 points for Pahrump.

Nuview Bridge (Calif.) 59, Mountain View 22 — Luis Rodriguez scored all 17 of his points in the first three quarters as the Knights routed the Saints in a consolation game.

James Walter added 12 points for Nuview Bridge, which led 49-13 at the half.

Rason McLennan led Mountain View with six points.