The Mojave High School basketball team celebrates after winning a second straight state championship Feb. 25, 2023, at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 | 10:18 p.m.
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Sophomore C.J. Shaw scored a game-best 35 points Saturday night for the Mojave High basketball team in a 73-68 win over Silverado at the Thomas & Mack Center for the Rattlers second straight Class 4A state championship.
Many assumed the game would be a blowout because Mojave beat Silverado by 25 points earlier in the season on the way to an undefeated mark in league games.
But Silverado made things interesting until the final minute to cap a memorable playoff run. The Skyhaws beat Valley on a buzzer beater to open the postseason and held on for a three-point win against Las Vegas in the state semifinals.
“They were well prepared,” Mojave coach KeJuan Clark said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better game. Best game of the season.”
Mojave finished with a 25-5 record, including many wins against top competition. The preseason contests certainly helped them prevail in the last game of the season — a surprising back and forth affair.
The difference was clearly Shaw, who scored 17 points in the second quarter alone in cementing himself as one of the city’s top players. He, after all, has two championship rings in two prep seasons.
“It’s all practice,” Shaw said. “We are pushing each other everyday in practice.”
Mojave will be elevated to the Class 5A next season, meaning they’ll have to beat the likes of Durango, Bishop Gorman, Liberty and Coronado to extend the championship streak. Clark doesn’t lack confidence and promises his program will be ready for the challenge.
“You have set an expectation, you have to set a goal to go get it,” he said. ”If you don’t think you can do it, you won’t do it.”
Michael Anderson and Julius Robinson had 12 points each to pace Silverado.
