Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

high school basketball:

Clark has 18 hours between state tournament games, yet Chargers thriving ‘one game at a time’

Las Vegas Sun High School Basketball Media Day 2018

Christopher DeVargas

Players of the Clark High basketball team, top row, Joel Burney, Frankie Collins and Antwon Jackson. Front row Jalen Hill and Ian Alexander, during the Las Vegas Sun’s Media Day at Red Rock Resort and Casino on Oct. 30, 2018.

Winning the state high school basketball tournament this week will take more than having a talented roster and getting a few breaks.

The last team standing on Friday at the Orleans Arena will also have the most stamina. The tournament expanded to six teams this season, putting the four teams that opened the tournament Wednesday in the quarterfinal round at a disadvantage of having to win three games in three days for the title.

For Clark, which today beat Desert Pines 55-40, that means a turnaround of 18 hours. The Chargers’ game with Desert Pines ended at about 9 p.m. Wednesday. They play Bishop Manogue at 3 p.m. Thursday in the state semifinals. Arbor View won Wednesday’s other semifinal game and plays at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against seven-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman.

“It is what it is,” Clark coach Chad Beeten said. “They gave us what we got on the schedule, and we have to play the game. You can either complain or just play, and we are going to play.”

It sure beats the alternative.

Clark lost to Gorman last Saturday in the Desert Region championship game in a defeat that in most states would have ended the season. But two teams in each of the state’s three regions earn state berths, meaning the Chargers’ season still had life.

They made the most of the opportunity against Desert Pines, using four first-half 3-pointers from Cam Kimble in growing a 39-13 advantage and cruising into the semifinals.

Although Clark’s offense sputtered in the second half in scoring just 16 points, including seven in the third quarter, the outcome was long decided. A poor quarter or two, especially when Beeten was rotating out starters to save their legs, has little meaning at this stage of the season.

All that matters is the final score, and that has Clark advancing into the semifinals. First, of course, they needed to travel back to the school after the Desert Pines game, and then return to campus at 7 a.m. for classes.

Bishop Manogue, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Friday. And the Reno school won’t have an early wakeup call for class.

“One game at a time. Win or you go home, so you just want to keep going for it,” Clark sophomore point guard Frankie Collins said.

Jalen Hill led all scorers with 19 points for Clark, while Collins and Kimble each had 12. Freshman Milos Uzan led Desert Pines with 16 points.

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

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