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Last Second Gift Saves Pirates Against VV

	Shiloh Sandoval makes a break-away lay-up in a game against Virgin Valley on Tuesday, January 8.	by Jonathan Oglesby Moapa Valley Progress When the Southern 3A Conference sat down to discuss scheduling for basketball, surely the powers that be must have talked about getting an exciting opener. Well, that is certainly what they got as the Bulldogs of Virgin Valley traveled the Gary Batchelor Gymnasium at Moapa Valley High School on Tuesday, January 8. The game that resulted created a new point to feud over and a new set of bragging rights to argue. The Pirates opened scoring early as Max Jenkins waltzed into the paint and got an early layup to put the Pirates up 2-0. Moapa Valley got another basket to drop from Dustin Maletich with 5:30 to go to give the Pirates an early 4-0.
	But Virgin Valley wasn’t about to let Moapa roll over on them, as the Bulldogs went on to score eight unanswered points. The Pirates took back the lead on a Max Jenkins basket to give Moapa a 9-8 advantage. Virgin Valley would take a 10-9 lead into the second quarter. Shiloh Sandoval opened up second quarter scoring for the Pirates as he hit a shot from beyond the arch to give Moapa a 12-10 lead. From there it became a back-and-forth contest with the lead changing hands again and again. Moapa Valley regained the lead with 5:00 left in the half on a Brad Weiss layup. The score would change hands again until Sandoval made an easy two to get Moapa back to a 22-22 tie. The Pirates would take the lead again briefly on a Shaun Hilton basket but the Bulldogs would keep a slim lead going into the half. Score at the end of the first half: Moapa Valley 23, Virgin Valley 25. Max Jenkins was again the first player to score in the second half as he tied the game at 25-25. Moapa Valley had an offensive feast in the next few minutes as the Pirates would take a 32-27 lead when Max Jenkins made another layup with 4:00 left in the quarter. That feast would turn to famine, however, as the Bulldogs fought back and were only down by one with a score of 36-35 at the end of the quarter. The Bulldogs took an early lead in the fourth quarter but the Pirates fought back to take a 39-38 lead with 6:00 left in the contest. The Pirates would score five unanswered points to make the score 43-38 with 4:21 remaining. But it still wasn’t over yet. The Pirates took a 44-42 lead on a Dustin Maletich basket. And when Maletich made one of his free-throw’s with 11 seconds left, Moapa Valley held a 47-44 lead. The Bulldogs took the ball and guard, Micheal Bartlett, fired from the three-point line to try for a game tying shot. Bartlett’s trajectory was true but the shot was long. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Skyler Laird of Virgin Valley got the rebound and dribbled around to the outside to get a shot at it. As Laird went up, his shot was true in all ways and the basket went in and counted. Initially, the shot was ruled a three which would have tied the game at 47-47. However, as Virgin Valley was celebrating the heroics of their player, the officials closest to the play ruled that Laird’s feet were inside the arch at the time of the shot, making Laird’s shot only a two-pointer and leaving the Bulldogs short at the end of the game. The Pirates traveled to Panacca on Friday, January 11, to face the Lynx of Lincoln County, considered one of the toughest teams in the state. The Pirates held the Lynx close at the half but the Lynx pulled away as they won a 81-67 contest. After the games, Head Coach Mike Strong commented. “The Virgin win was a big win for us. (Kirk) Brotherson was good about the shot. We’re now working to prepare for big division showdowns this weekend, “ said Strong. The Pirates will travel to 0-1 Boulder City on Friday, January 18 to take on the Eagles. Moapa Valley will host Faith Lutheran, the three-time defending state champions, the next day in an early division showdown of possible playoff contenders.