MLN-Winterjan1-15

Bulldog Marcus Saunders #32 scores on a drive in a recent game. Saunders leads the Dawgs in scoring at a 12.7 PPG clip. Photo by Lou Martin.

The Virgin Valley High School winter sports season kicks into high gear beginning the first week of 2015. All Bulldog teams will begin action as league play dominates all sports.

The Lady Bulldog basketball team has compiled a 3-0 1-A Sunrise League record and stand 6-4 for the season overall. The Dawgs are tied with Boulder City at the top spot. The Bulldog tandem of Kourtney Metzger and Bernice Fiso, have dominated the boards in recent games. Guard Emma Barnum continues to lead the Dawgs in points per game alongside teammate Spencer Green. The Dawgs will host Sunrise Mountain High School on Tuesday, January 6 and travel to Chaparral on Thursday, January 8. The Sunrise Mountain Miners are 0-2 in league and 5-4 overall. The Chaparral squad sits at 2-0 and 5-1 overall and are led by Taj-Cris Felton who has scored in double figures.

December was a learning experience for Coach Sean FitzSimons’ young basketball squad as they managed only four wins in 11 games through Christmas. Two of the wins were against conference foes, which gave them a 2-1 record going into the New Year and the heart of 1-A Sunrise League play. The good news is, only two of eight league opponents have a winning record. Leading the way, are Del Sol with a 9-2 record and Boulder City at 6-4. The Dawgs had two impressive losses against Division 1 teams during the recent BIT basketball tournament. The Dawgs lost in the waning moments to Shadow Ridge and Bonanza High Schools. The Dawgs lost their first matchup with league leader Del Sol 61-53. Swing man Marcus Saunders leads Bulldog scorers, at 12.7 points per game average followed by center Cody Burnside at 8.4 PPG. Sophomore point guard Jarett Tietjen has been impressive leading the offense. Burnside and reserve Cody Jones lead the rebounding at a 5 per game clip. The Dawgs travel to Sunrise Mountain on January 6 before hosting Chaparral on January 8. Sunrise defeated Chaparral 56-54 in an early season league matchup.

The Lady Gridiron Gals ended their early season 6-5 in 2014. The Lady Dawgs’ league record stands at 2-2. The Dawgs had a disappointing 40-0 loss at Centennial High School to end 2014. The Dawgs are led by freshman quarterback Kallie Graves, running back Taylor Bryant and receivers Dylan Bryant and Kaydee Bingham. Bingham leads the Dawgs in interceptions. The Dawgs travel to Mojave High School on January 5 and will host Clark on January 7 to begin 2015.