Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Desert Pines ends historic season with 69-46 win over Cheyenne

3A High School Basketball Championship

Yasmina Chavez

Desert Pines celebrates after winning the high school basketball 3A state title game at Cox Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017.

Desert Pines handles Cheyenne for 3A title

Cheyennes William Federson tries to block Desert Pines' Trevon Abdullahs shot during the high school basketball 3A state title game at Cox Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. Launch slideshow »

In the first 18 years of Desert Pines High School’s existence it won only one state championship in football and boys basketball combined.

This year the Jaguars won two, with many of the same athletes contributing to both.

Desert Pines continued its historic season this afternoon with a 69-46 win over Cheyenne in the 3A division state championship game.

“It’s an unexplainable feeling right now. I don’t think it has hit me yet,” said Desert Pines point guard Capri Uzan. “I just wanted to leave on top. That was the whole purpose of going through all of this and graduating with my friends. There’s nothing I can compare to it right now.”

The Jaguars lost in the state championship game in each of the last two seasons, but Uzan’s effort was enough to finally seal the deal.

Uzan led Desert Pines with a game-high 24 points, but his ball distribution was most impressive. Uzan threaded needles with bounce passes between Cheyenne defenders to set his teammates up with easy buckets as the Jaguars jumped out to an early lead.

“He’s one of the best point guards I’ve ever had along with Julian Jacobs and some of those other guys that I’ve coached over the years,” said Desert Pines coach (and Capri’s father) Mike Uzan. “We couldn’t have done it without him.”

Desert Pines led 29-14 at halftime and by 21 heading into the fourth quarter.

“All of our focus was to come out strong,” Capri Uzan said. “The first time we played them we had a slow start and weren’t really clicking. We just tried to get buckets inside and feed our big guys.”

Cheyenne bested Desert Pines twice in the regular season, but the Jaguars beat the Desert Shields by 28 in the Sunset Regional final and by 23 in the state championship.

Trevon Abdullah-Booker pitched in 16 points for the Jaguars and Derrick Coleman scored 13.

Cheyenne junior Kavon Williams scored 21 and brought the Desert Shields back within 11 with four minutes left but ran out of gas down the stretch.

In the game’s final seconds senior Marckell Grayson was subbed into the game to shoot free throws. A UNLV football commit, Grayson tore his ACL during the football season opener on Aug. 26, 2016 and hadn’t competed in either sport since.

“Marckell is a fantastic kid and we wish him nothing but the best,” Mike Uzan said. “With the injury issues he’s went through this year, him getting a chance to get out there and play was the best part of the day.”

It’s the Jaguars’ second state title in basketball overall – they won in 2013 under Mike Uzan.

Remarkably similar to the Desert Pines football team, the basketball team was finally able to capture the state title after years of coming so close. There are 10 athletes that played on both teams and they will go down in school history.

“I’ve known these kids for so long so to watch them accomplish both is a blessing,” Mike Uzan said. “To pull one out with these kids that I love is special.”