Clark regains focus, intensity to beat Desert Oasis

Whatever issues plagued Clark’s boys basketball team during winter break appeared to have evaporated once school returned for the second semester Monday.

After dropping three of their last four games over the break, the Chargers returned with intensity in dismantling host Desert Oasis 84-42.

“We came off this winter break with a lot of losses we didn’t want, and I just felt like we had a new mentality,” senior guard James Bridges said. “We just wanted to go out there and win the game at all costs, and do it handily.”

Bridges led the Chargers’ attack (12-3, 4-0 Southwest League) with 23 points and 10 rebounds, including five 3-pointers. Four of those 3s came in the second quarter, when Clark put the game on the ice.

Clark outscored Desert Oasis 26-9 in the frame, including a 16-1 run. It was 43-19 at halftime, and the Chargers triggered the running clock with 7:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Freshman Frankie Collins had 16 points for Clark, and Ian Alexander scored 14.

It was a return to form for a Chargers team that entered the break undefeated, and rolled into the Tarkanian Classic title game before falling to rival Bishop Gorman. Clark then lost two of three in South Carolina at the Beach Ball Classic.

“We went away for break, and I don’t think we had that same focus,” Clark coach Chad Beeten said. “When we got back from break we kind of ramped it up in practice, ramped up the pressure a little bit, and it showed today.”

Desert Oasis (13-6, 2-2) was unable to get anything going offensively, and did not record consecutive field goals without allowing a point until the third quarter. Even then, the Diamondbacks could only do it once, and a 6-0 run to start to the third was their best string of scoring in the game.

Southern Nevada scoring leader Jacob Heese (29.6 points per game) had a team-high 17 points for the Diamondbacks.

Contact Justin Emerson at jemerson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2944. Follow @J15Emerson on Twitter.