Clark sophomores step up in romp over Mojave

Darius Jackson didn't start for Clark's boys basketball team Wednesday night, and the Chargers got just one basket from their leading scorer.

But sophomore wings James Bridges and Trey Woodbury picked up the slack, combining for 21 first-half points as Clark rolled to a 64-43 road victory over Mojave.

"We are young, and we don't have a ton of experience, and our best player is just coming off an injury," Clark coach Chad Beeten said. "He hasn't practiced in over a week. I thought we did a really good job of picking him up and getting him an opportunity to play a little bit and kind of loosen it up."

Jackson, who rolled his ankle during a tournament in Arizona on Dec. 30, didn't score in the first quarter, but Bridges and Woodbury combined for 13 points as the Chargers took a 16-10 lead. Mojave's leading scorer, Daryl Adams, didn't dress because of a leg injury, and the Rattlers never found a rhythm against Clark's 2-3 zone.

The Rattlers got little penetration against the zone, instead settling for jump shots. Without Adams, Mojave was 5-for-22 (22.7 percent) on 3-pointers. The Rattlers were 16-for-52 (30.8 percent) from the field.

"That's what we've been trying to tell them, keep people out of the lane and make them take 3s," Beeten said. "It's tough to win just shooting 3s."

Bridges had 10 of his team-high 14 points in the first half, and Woodbury scored all 11 of his points before halftime as the Chargers took a 35-20 lead.

Point guard Keyshaun Webb, one of three seniors on a roster that includes four freshmen and six sophomores, scored all nine of his points in the first half. He finished with five points and six assists and handled Mojave's pressure without a problem. Clark had only 12 turnovers.

"Keyshaun was just terrific," Beeten said. "When Keyshaun plays like that, we're good. That's typical when you're a point guard, especially a guy that's been with us for four years."

Jackson showed no sign of the ankle injury on his only field goal, a reverse slam off an alley-oop from Webb that made the score 33-20 with 1:15 left in the first half. Jackson finished with seven points.

"When I took him out after that, I was like, 'I guess your ankle's OK,' " Beeten said of the spectacular dunk. "I think more so laterally is what bothered him. You could see him be a little hesitant trying to make moves. Going vertical, no problem."

Crishawn Thomas led Mojave with 14 points, and teammate Richard Edwards had 11 points and eight rebounds.

— Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at 702-380-4587 or dseiters@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DamonSeiters