CLASS 3A: McKeever helps Eagle girls bounce back in second half to top Pirates

Boulder City’s girls basketball team had reason to be confident Thursday playing a Moapa Valley team it had beat twice — by more than 20 points each — this season.

The Eagles were perhaps overconfident as they trailed 28-20 at halftime.

But the leadership of Taylor McKeever took over after the break, and Boulder City rallied for a 54-47 win over Moapa Valley in the Class 3A Southern League semifinals at Durango.

The Eagles play Virgin Valley (18-5) in the finals at 6:40 p.m. Saturday at Durango.

“Our start of the game was really jittery and nervous, but after halftime and a talk, everyone calmed down and showed their heart for the game,” said McKeever, a junior guard who had 20 points and seven rebounds.

McKeever scored nine points in the first half, then led a run with three consecutive scores as the Eagles (13-9) tied the game, 32-32 with 2:55 left in the third period.

“She’s definitely the general on the floor,” Boulder City coach Brian Lemmel said of McKeever. “She’s the leader and the kids know it. They follow her and she does a great job leading this group.”

Moapa Valley (10-15) led 36-35 at the end of the third quarter after a layup by Ashley Noto with 20 seconds remaining.

Noto, the Pirates’ top scorer, was absent for most of the middle quarters after an injury during an ugly collision at halfcourt with 7:34 left in the second quarter that coaches say led to a concussion. Eight of Noto’s team-high 14 points came in the first quarter.

“Not having Ashley hurt us a lot as she took a pretty good shot and was kind of woozy,” Moapa Valley coach Gerald Swanson said. “She’s a spark plug on the team and we lost a little bit of foot speed and definitely our shooting threat.”

The Eagles regained the lead 42-40 on a jumper by Tana Williams with 4:38 left to play that sparked a 12-7 spurt to take control.

“They did a great job and we struggled in the first half,” Lemmel said. “I think this game was good for us. We won because we stuck with it, but it was nice to have this game to improve upon.”

Freshman Whitney Barlow, who battled an illness for most of the game, knocked down 5-of-6 free throws in the second half to finish with seven points for Boulder City.

Dana Prach supplied seven points for the Eagles, which got five points apiece from Karlee Koopman and Sylvia Combs.

Shelbie Denman-Gray had 11 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for Moapa Valley. Hanna Leavitt added 10 points and five steals, and Amanda Campbell tallied seven points and eight rebounds for the Pirates.

Moapa Valley’s boys basketball team outscored Boulder City by 20 points in the second half to erase a 35-34 halftime deficit and defeat the Eagles, 74-55 in the Class 3A Southern League semifinal.

Josh Thompson dictated the tempo, leading Moapa Valley (14-11) with 23 points, including four of the team’s 10 3-pointers.

“I just wanted to push the tempo and get our team going,” said Thompson, who also tallied five steals and five assists.

Thompson and backcourt teammates Dakota Waters and Casen Lewis combined to score 49 of the Pirates’ 74 points, with Watters and Lewis each supply 13 points.

“He may be the littlest guy out there, but he plays big in big games,” Moapa Valley coach Dallas Larsen said. “He seems to be in the right spot at the right time. He earns respect every time out by the end of the game.

“Our big strength is definitely our guard play. I’ve given the reins over to our guards. I tell them that if they work hard on defense then they can have the reins on offense.”

Moapa Valley held the Eagles (5-13) to 20 points in the second half thanks in large part to 6-foot-3-inch senior post Hayden Cooper.

Cooper drew the unenviable task of guarding Boulder City’s Nate Hafen, and limited him to four points in the second half.

“Hayden has been solid for us every game,” Larsen said. “Without his presence and rebounding in there, it does get dicey in terms of rebounding and inside positioning.”

The Pirates led after the first quarter 18-10, but the Eagles took the lead 27-25 midway through the second quarter on a layup by Hafen, who finished with 19 points.

Spinning layup by Hafen from the left block gave Boulder City its final lead of the game at 37-35 early in the third quarter. Thompson responded with a deep 3-pointer from the left wing to put Moapa Valley up 38-37, and the Pirates never relinquished the lead.

Frustration set in for Boulder City in the fourth quarter after a steal by Lewis led to a hard foul on the other end. Technical fouls were assessed to two of the Eagles’ players for foul language. Lewis hit both of his attempts from the stripe on the shooting foul, and Thompson knocked down all four of the technical free throws, stretching a seven-point lead to a 13 points at 66-43 and Moapa Valley cruised to the win.

Cooper finished with 16 points for Moapa Valley.

Austin Morgan had 15 points and Austin Freauf added 10 points for Boulder City.

Moapa Valley will play Virgin Valley (15-9) in the finals at 8:20 p.m. Saturday at Durango.