Clark’s third straight state title a testament to 2 seniors’ leadership

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 | 10:41 p.m.

When it was time to award the Clark High basketball team its third consecutive state championship trophy Saturday night, seniors Keyshaun Webb and Darius Jackson walked to the center of the court at Lawlor Events Center to grab the hardware. They lifted it above their heads and teammates quickly joined them to continue the celebration.

It seemed only fitting that Webb and Jackson lead the Chargers one last time.

Clark wasn’t expected to be in this spot again, mixing in some first-time varsity players — many sophomores and freshmen — in remaking the roster. They had won two consecutive state championships, but more-seasoned Desert Pines was expected to break the streak.

Jackson and Webb, Clark’s lone seniors, had other plans. They mentored the younger players and by the end of the season were part of the best team in the Division I-A. Clark led from start to finish in Saturday's state championship game, limiting Desert Pines to four first-quarter points in a 43-39 victory.

Not bad for a team that started two freshmen and a sophomore most of the season.

“Their senior leadership took that young crew through this process.,” Clark coach Chad Beeten said. “We all owe it to them. I didn’t think they could lead us that well.”

Just last week, Desert Pines beat Clark in the Southern Region championship game by five points. Yet none of the Chargers’ players felt they were outclassed. With the proper adjustments, they felt confident in the rematch.

The adjustment, a slight change to their zone defense, slowed Desert Pines in the first half. The Jaguars players had a hard time getting open looks at the basket, scoring just nine first-half points. Webb had nine by himself, and Clark led 21-9.

But Clark knew Desert Pines wouldn’t go down without a fight. After all, this is arguably the best rivalry in Nevada high school basketball, with the teams meeting in three of the past four state championship games. Desert Pines erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to win in 2013, meaning the second half could have produced more than its share of drama.

Desert Pines scored eight consecutive points early in the third quarter, including five from Greg Floyd, in trimming the deficit to six points. But Clark called a timeout to regroup and held Desert Pines scoreless the rest of the quarter.

And Clark had arguably it two biggest baskets of the game, a pair of 3-pointers from sophomore Trey Woodbury. Webb and Jackson played in their fourth state championship game Saturday night, passing the torch to a new generation — players such as Woodbury and sophomore James Bridges. They delivered.

“I saw I was open. I knew it was going in,” said Woodbury, who scored 14 points.

When Clark lost last Saturday to Desert Pines, it was the team's first defeat since New Year’s Eve. Turns out, that was a blessing in disguise. It exposed some weakness for a young team whose players are learning on the fly.

“I hate to lose, but sometimes you have to learn from a loss,” Beeten said. “We learned from a loss.”

In the end, Webb wouldn’t be denied in his last game. He led all scorers with 15 points, and more important, was strong defensively in guarding Desert Pines’ Capri Uzan. Uzan, who had 20 points last week, didn’t score until the fourth quarter in finishing with 10 points, including two 3-pointers in the final seconds when the game was already decided.

Soon, it was a familiar ending to the season: Clark players smiling for photos with family members and friends, and chanting “Three-peat, three-peat.”

“(The younger players) bought in on the first day,” Webb said. “They learned a lot from us. They are going to keep winning state championships.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21