Basketball Recap: Moapa Valley Takes a Loss

If Moapa Valley was riding high fresh off their 74-29 takedown of Cristo Rey St. Viator last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Moapa Valley Pirates had to suffer through a 83-46 loss at the hands of the Mater Academy East Las Vegas Knights. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nevada basketball rankings (they are ranked 63rd, while the Knights are ranked tenth).

Moapa Valley's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Bryson Walker, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 boards. Walker has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more rebounds the last 15 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jaxson Bunker, who posted 17 points.

Mater Academy East Las Vegas had a senior duo take command as Lonnie Bass dropped a double-double on 31 points and 12 boards and Deven Taylor went 11 for 14 on his way to 27 points and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bass has scored all season. Miles Williams was another key player, putting up two points and 13 assists.

Moapa Valley's loss was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 8-14. As for Mater Academy East Las Vegas, the win was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-6.

Moapa Valley didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 69-22 victory against Cristo Rey St. Viator on the 24th. As for Mater Academy East Las Vegas, they will square off against Eldorado at 6:30 p.m. on January 31st.