Desert Pines fights off late rally to beat Clark, win regional basketball title

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 | 9:39 p.m.

It's not easy to beat your rival. Just ask the Desert Pines High basketball team.

It led nemesis Clark by 10 points with about three minutes to play today in the Division I-A Southern Region championship game when the Chargers quickly responded to make it a three-point deficit with 1:11 remaining.

Then, after Desert Pines grew the lead back to six points, Clark hit a 3-pointer to make it a one possession game with 24 seconds left.

So, when Desert Pines eventually prevailed, 47-42, and players stormed the court in excitement, they had plenty of reasons to be happy. One, they won a championship. But, more important, this group of players finally knocked off Clark.

Clark and Desert Pines are the unquestioned best teams in the classification, meeting the past four years in the regional title game, and twice in the state championship game. Desert Pines won state three seasons ago by erasing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. Clark is the two-time defending state champions, holding a three-game winning streak against the Jaguars entering tonight.

Desert Pines’ team leaders had never beat Clark — two long years of defeats in championship games.

“That’s a monkey off our back, man,” Desert Pines coach Mike Uzan said. “We’ve been (considered) behind them all season. We’ve been doubted. We’ve been through some ups and downs. Trust me, that word ‘Clark’ is in our practice everyday. That is something for our guys to be proud about. These kids appreciate the win.”

Capri Uzan, coach Uzan’s son, led all scorers with 20 points, including eight in the first quarter as Desert Pines opened a 14-9 lead. Desert Pines was having success scoring in transition and it appeared the Jaguars were headed to a double-digit victory.

But many of Desert Pines’ key players were saddled with early foul trouble and they struggled attacking Clark’s zone defense in the second quarter. The end result was ugly: A slower pace and three-point quarter for Desert Pines. Still, Clark managed just four points. giving Desert Pines a 17-13 halftime advantage and setting the table for the second half drama.

“It is a game we always look forward to. We are always talking about, ‘Clark, Clark, Clark in practice,” said Capri Uzan, whose night included five assists and 3 of 4 shooting on 3-pointers.

Darius Jackson, who scored 15 points to lead Clark, and James Bridges connected on 3-pointers in the final 71 seconds to make things interesting. But, this time, it was Desert Pines’ turn to get the best of its rival — well, at least for this week.

They’ll likely meet again next Saturday in Reno in the state championship game. Both teams qualified Friday for state with semifinal victories.

“Let’s do it again,” coach Uzan said.

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