Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Prep Basketball:

Eldorado’s clutch free throw shooting drops Las Vegas High

Expanded coverage

The year's best example of how frustrating Eldorado's near perfect free throw shooting can be to its opponents came in the third quarter of a 83-75 win over Las Vegas Wednesday night.

As another Eldorado free throw attempt hit nothing but net, Wildcats coach Jason Wilson asked a valid question directed at nobody specific, but loud enough for many in the gym to hear.

"Dang, do these guys miss free throws or what?" Wilson asked.

The answer Wednesday night might as well have been 'No,' as the Sun Devils (17-7, 7-1) shot 30-of-32 from the line, including 24 straight to start the game. The performance helped them erase a 17-point deficit, as they trailed 38-21 at halftime.

"I have a lot of confidence in our team shooting free throws," said Eldorado coach Mike Uzan. "It's something that we practice a lot and it wins games for you. Ultimately, hopefully, it wins championships for you."

The Wildcats (12-10, 4-4) jumped to a surprising start over one of the top teams in the league, holding the Sun Devils to six points in the first quarter on stingy defense that forced 12 first half turnovers. When they weren't forcing turnovers on the defense end, the Wildcats were contesting shots and swarming the glass, allowing Eldorado only one shot per possession.

A team known for its only troubles hanging on to the ball, the Wildcats committed just three turnovers in the first half.

"We played about as well as we have all year in the first half," Wilson said. "We limited them to one or two offensive rebounds. We ran our offense well, were patient, took care of the ball. This is a tough one to lose for us. But that's why they're at the top of the division and we're maybe a notch below them."

The second half wasn't as much as a letdown from Las Vegas as it was Eldorado stepping to the challenge. Senior point guard Mitrell Clark changed the tempo of the game by driving into the lane, scoring 17 of his team-high 26 points from the free throw line.

"We knew Clark was a good player and we did our best to keep the ball out of his hands," Wilson said. "I thought we did a good job of it in the first half but in the second half he started getting to the basket which also created offense for the other guys."

Senior guard Tony Eackles Jr. tried to do the same for the Wildcats as he led the team with 27 points, including18 in the second half. Aahmad Franklin also played well, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. But defensively, Las Vegas had no answer as Eldorado racked up 62 points in the second half.

"We're very disciplined and we're very experienced," Clark said. "So in tough situations like that we don't panic. That's one thing we don't do. We had downfalls, but coach talked to us in the locker room and motivated us. He gave us a speech and we won't forget that speech, we kept it in our head. We just came out and pushed through it and got the victory."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected].

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