Friday, February 8, 2013

Minico outlasts WRHS on Boatwright’s night

Boys’ season winding down

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Wood River High players Eron Bates (left) and Connor Hayes (right) put the defensive pinch on Minico senior Tanner Stallings during Wednesday’s game won by the Spartans 50-30. Photo by Roland Lane

     On a special night honoring recently retired teacher/coach Jim Boatwright, the Wood River High School and Minico boys’ varsity basketball teams had a good Great Basin Conference tussle Wednesday night.

     A packed house at the Hailey gym, many attending to honor Boatwright, saw Minico (8-11, 4-6 league) build a 20-7 halftime lead and make 15 of 21 free throws in the second half en route to a 50-30 league decision over Wood River (6-12, 2-8).

     The game was a preview of a first round GBC tournament game set for Tuesday, Feb. 12, this time with No. 4 Minico hosting No. 5 Wood River at 7 p.m. on the Rupert floor.

     But it was also a time to recall the many accomplishments of Boatwright, 60, the Wood River High history teacher for 10 years who retired in December and is battling liver cancer.

     Boatwright graduated from Minico High School in 1970, where he led the Spartans to back-to-back state basketball championship games in 1969 and 1970. As a junior, he averaged 37 points per game during the state tourney. He still ranks as the second-leading Minico basketball scorer of all time.

     Check today’s Express website for more about Boatwright, his career and the ceremony.

     In Wednesday’s game, Wood River fought back from a 16-point third quarter deficit and used tenacious defense to cut Minico’s lead to nine points in the fourth quarter before running out of steam. Freshman guard Alec Nordsieck suffered an injury to his lower left leg going for a loose ball in the third period and did not return.

     Wolverine contributors were Cody Carter (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 assists, 2 blocks), Eron Bates (7 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 block), Nordsieck (4 points), Connor Hayes (4 points), Max Mauldin (3 points, 5 rebounds), Kevin Hernandez (2 points, 2 boards), Jon Scott (2 points, 4 rebounds) and Nic Brunker (2 rebounds).

     Sophomore guard Domenico Chavez (15 points, two 3-pointers) and junior post Isaiah Harris (10 points, 6 boards) topped the Spartans.

     Other GBC tournament match-ups are: No. 3 Jerome (11-7, 6-4) hosting No. 6 Canyon Ridge (0-10, 0-9) on Tuesday, with No. 2 Burley (14-5, 7-12) waiting for the winner of the Jerome-Canyon Ridge game and No. 1 Twin Falls (15-4, 10-0) waiting for the Minico-Wood River winner next Thursday.

     In Wednesday’s junior varsity game, Wood River (3-12) rallied from a 23-14 halftime deficit and defeated the Minico junior varsity 46-37.

    Coach Steve Scott’s Wolverines outscored Minico 32-14 in the second half led by the scoring of 6-3 sophomore Parker Bingham, who tallied 10 of his 12 points after the half and drilled two 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Samuel Burns also ended up with 12 points, including 6 for 7 at the free-throw line after intermission.

     Other Wolverines were Skylar Davie 5 points, Kole Mauldin 5 points (one 3-pointer), Maxwell Mihalic 5 points, Armando Gomez 3 (one 3-pointer), Chase Hutchinson 2 and Nate Merklinghaus 2.

     Today, Friday, Wood River’s regular-season slate comes to a close with a nonleague game at Gooding (7-10). The Senators, 35-30 losers at Hailey Dec. 4, have dropped four of their last five games, including a 60-35 home setback to Buhl on Friday.

Wood River High senior Jose Hernandez runs in the pre-game introductions tunnel between the Wolverine cheerleaders Wednesday in Hailey. Express photo by Roland Lane

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