By DAVE BELCHER
Moapa Valley Progress
What a way for the season to end for the Moapa Valley High School Boys Basketball! It was a turbulent season which had many challenges. On Tuesday night, February 19, the Pirate boys basketball season came to an end when the Moapa team was destroyed by the Mojave Rattlers, 67-22.
Mojave had proven during the season that they would be a team to recon with as the season went along. Tuesday night they proved they were peaking at the right time. Their full court trap and defensive pressure made it hard for the Pirates to move the ball down the floor.
The Rattlers’ offense was doing just fine as well. Mojave built a 20-10 lead by the end of the first quarter. This was done mainly by driving the lane and finding easy baskets.
They would turn up the pressure with their pressure defense with a made basket giving Moapa Valley grief especially in the second quarter.
It was in that quarter that the Rattlers dominated Moapa Valley with a 29-4 run which started the running clock. The press was huge as the Pirates tried to pass and dribble their way through the arms and legs of Mojave which was like a wall. As a ball was stolen a layup opportunity was capitalized upon, again and again.
Most shots the Pirates took, when they were able to move the ball down floor, missed; including putbacks.
Mojave lead 49-14 at halftime taking the wind from the Pirates’ sails. They took the press off during the second half but the Pirates were done.
Mojave outscored Moapa Valley 12-2 in the third quarter and coasted to the final buzzer ending the misery and the Pirates’ season.
Isaiah Harper led Mojave with 14-points. Chris Jackson scored 12 while Saquevian Williams added 11.
Cameron Reese led the Pirates with just 7 points.
Now with the season finished the final statistics list Lucas Walker as the leading Pirate scorer with a 13 points per game average. Jessup Lake finished with a 10 points per game average and 7 rebounds per game.
Moapa Valley has finished the season with a 16-11 record overall. They finished as the third seed with a league record of 6-4.
Playing the final Basketball game as a Pirate were seniors Josh Cox, Chase Hoy, Jessup Lake, Dallas Larsen, Derek Reese and Jerrick Stastny.
Mojave continues its season as they upset Boulder City in the regional semi-final qualifying for this week’s state tournament at the Orleans arena Friday night. The Rattlers have a 21-7 record overall with a 8-2 league record.
