Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

HS BASKETBALL:

Silverado boys open strong against Mojave, win 61-49

Silverado-Mojave

Justin M. Bowen

Bryan Marberry of Silverado (left) gets fouled by Jaishon Dean of Mojave during the Sierra Vista Invitational Tournament Friday at Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas. Silverado advances with a 61-49 win.

Silverado-Mojave

Ruben Jackson of Silverado lays it in against Mojave Friday during the Sierra Vista Invitational Tournament Friday at Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas.  Silverado advances with a 61-49 win. Launch slideshow »

Team pages

A 16-point lead at the end of the first quarter was impressive Tuesday for the Silverado High boys basketball team. However, not blowing the advantage in the fourth quarter was more significant.

The Skyhawks closed the first quarter on an 18-2 run against Mojave at the Sierra Vista Invitational but had to hang on for a 61-49 victory.

Despite leading 22-6 after the initial eight minutes, Silverado still had its hands full late in the game in battling Mojave’s suffocating pressure defense.

Mojave trimmed its deficit to 37-31 by the end of the third quarter, but Silverado junior guard David Ware opened the fourth quarter with seven straight points, and Silverado led by double-digits the rest of the contest.

Considering Silverado has blown fourth-quarter leads three times in the initial month of the season, closing out a gritty Mojave squad was encouraging for first-year coach Martin Ferriter.

“We are working on better managing the game in the fourth quarter,” Ferriter said. “We are getting better, and at the end of the day, that is what matters the most.”

Ware drained a 3-pointer from the corner to open the fourth-quarter scoring to give Silverado the late boost it needed. Ware scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth.

“We relied on our tough play,” Ware said. “We put the ball in the hands of our playmakers and let them make plays.”

Junior guard Justin Johnson, who finished with 11 points, hit a pair of 3-pointers to spark the first-quarter, while post player Michael Wiley and Ware each had two baskets.

Bryan Marberry added 10 points for Silverado, which is 2-1 in the tournament. The Skyhawks opened Monday with a 71-55 victory against Lynwood of California, but lost 57-53 to Spring Valley late Tuesday.

“It was really good for us to play a tall and athletic team (such as Mojave) that made us play all 94 feet,” Ferriter said.

Mojave’s Andrew Lotts had a game-high 24 points, but it wasn’t enough as a short-handed Rattlers’ failed to rally.

Four Mojave players arrived after the first quarter, the result of players having to find their own transportation to the game. Mojave is located in North Las Vegas, about a 40-minute drive away from Sierra Vista in the Southwest.

Mojave (2-8 overall) coach Deumaine Reeder isn’t concerned with his team’s record in the tournament. Like most squads in the event, they are using the competition to prepare for league play.

“We are looking for guys who can play in our system,” Reeder said. “We need to start getting to the point where we are playing as a team.”

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy