LAS VEGAS SHOOTOUT: Jackson shoots Silverado into title game

Silverado guard Ruben Jackson has been praised for his ability to create his own shot.

With the Skyhawks needing some offense Wednesday, Jackson did just that.

Jackson tallied 29 points and seven rebounds, including 10 points in the fourth quarter, as Silverado’s boys basketball team rallied past Spring Valley, 72-67 in a semifinal of the Las Vegas Shootout at Desert Oasis.

The Skyhawks will meet Canby (Ore.) at 6 p.m. Thursday for the tournament title.

“(Jackson is) nice to have, because he can create and get to the rim,” Ferriter said. “It’s really a luxury for us. He can play inside-out.

“Ruben can slash. And sometimes, our offense gets stuck, and we really need him to create.”

Jackson took control in the fourth quarter, helping the Skyhawks turn a 59-52 deficit into a five-point win.

Michael Wiley’s fadeaway jump shot with 2:18 to play allowed Silverado to tie the game at 67-67, and Justin Johnson cashed in on the Skyhawks’ full-court press with a steal and layup to put Silverado ahead for good.

Johnson finished with 23 points, two steals and two assists for Silverado.

“I thought if you looked at the two teams, there were 10 guys who matched up well with each other,” Ferriter said. “It’s nice that we could work from behind and compete. But we were fortunate to win.”

Jackson added a late bucket with 1:18 to play, and the Skyhawks forced three turnovers to keep the Grizzlies at bay.

Spring Valley jumped to a 41-30 lead as Shannon Nolan drained 6 of 8 3-pointers en route to 18 points at the break. DeShaun Nowlin added two 3-pointers and 10 points for the Grizzlies, but the sharp shooting duo combined for only two 3-pointers in the second half.

“We were really able to play our game,” Ferriter said of the second half. “We’re really all about defense; we spend three quarters of our practice on defense, and we were finally able to turn the corner, and that led to that transition bucket. Once we got them at that point, the momentum was ours.”

Canby (Ore.) 66, Desert Oasis 51 — Colby Cates and Andrew Evans each poured in 22 points to help the Cougars rally past the Diamondbacks.

Anthony Lianzo scored 20 points to lead Desert Oasis, which held Cates and Evans to eight combined points before halftime en route to a 22-16 lead at the break.

But Canby exploded for 28 points in the third quarter, and the Diamondbacks had no answer for the sharpshooting duo, who nailed eight 3-pointers in the second half.

Noah Jefferson had 11 points and eight rebounds for Desert Oasis, which will play Spring Valley in the third-place game at 3 p.m.

Shawn Druckenmiller had eight points and five rebounds off the bench for the Diamondbacks.