Jackson, Agassi Prep cruise in tournament
Kalinn Jackson sat out the entire fourth quarter Tuesday night.
The senior forward was long done with his work for Agassi Prep's boys basketball team by then.
Jackson scored 15 of his 23 points in the third quarter to lead the Stars to a 78-59 win over Lake Mead in the quarterfinals of the Vegas Invitational at Mountain View.
"The coaches had us pretty much pumped up, and we came out and handled our business," Jackson said of the third quarter.
Agassi Prep (7-2) scored the first nine points of the quarter, in which the Stars outscored the Eagles 28-9, to break open a 64-39 lead. Jackson capped the period with a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
"He had a bounce-back game. Last night, he couldn't hit a shot," Agassi Prep coach Wendell West said of Jackson, who added five steals.
"Tonight, he just stayed with it, kept shooting the ball and started to knock a few down and get his confidence back."
Agassi Prep advanced to meet Needles in a semifinal at 6:30 p.m. today.
The Stars turned Tuesday's possible Class 2A Southern League playoff preview into a rout with stellar defense, holding Lake Mead (4-7) to 21-for-51 shooting from the field.
One day after exploding for a tournament-record 51 points in a win over Tech, Lake Mead junior guard Justin Yamzon was limited to 22 points.
Agassi Prep also benefited from balanced offense. DeCari Lide had 13 points and three steals for Agassi Prep, and Terrell Kemp supplied 10 points and four assists.
Anson Williams, David Bailey and Watee Manor added eight points each for Agassi Prep, which had 10 players score.
Balance is crucial for the Stars as they play without star forward Curtis Watson, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury.
"DeCari Lide has stepped up big-time," West said. "He's everywhere on defense, and he's been able to fill some of the void with Curtis out.
"That's going to be the key for us, as long as we have balance and one guy isn't scoring all the points."
Caleb Pitman had 10 points and seven rebounds for Lake Mead. Brendan LeBaron had nine points for the Eagles, and Dylan Graham scored eight.
Contact reporter Tristan Aird at taird@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203
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TUESDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
BOYS
Bishop Gorman's Shabazz Muhammad had 24 points and eight rebounds in only 16 minutes, and the Gaels routed Rye (N.Y.) 81-33 in the first round of the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Las Vegas High's Hasaan Henderson had 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 73-32 win over Cabrillo (Calif.) to finish 3-0 in pool play at the Las Vegas Prep Championship.
Clark's Bryan McGriff had 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals in a 75-57 victory over Palos Verdes (Calif.) in the Las Vegas Prep Championship.
GIRLS
Legacy's Neisha Jackson had 10 points and nine rebounds in the Longhorns' 47-26 victory over Bellflower (Calif.) in the West Coast Holiday Festival in Norco, Calif.
Sierra Vista's Melia Tadytin supplied 18 points and 17 rebounds in the Mountain Lions' 56-37 victory over La Quinta (Calif.) in the Savanna Rebels Tournament in Anaheim, Calif.
