Starting out on the wrong end of a 0-6 score was not exactly part of Clark’s game plan. After a slow first quarter, each team vamped up the energy, including the Chargers’ bench, once again led by freshman sharpshooter James Bridges. Bridges hit all three of his first shots, each one coming from behind the arc. Those shots went in at the right time as Clark would turn the deficit and go up 18-13, never losing the lead again.

 

“We were maybe a little bit tentative when they jumped out on us 6-0,” head coach Chad Beeten said. “But [Bridges] kind of settled us in. Once he started making shots, everybody else kind of followed through.”

 

The Chargers finished the half leading 21-13. The momentum from late in the second quarter carried over to a smooth second half for the reigning champs. This is when the mental toughness of all the players, especially senior Colby Jackson, was tested.

 

"I didn't want to lose. I don't like losing," said Jackson, a four-year starter point guard.

 

.Jackson did not score in the first half. This is by all means a rare occurrence. However, the pressure rose after DP implemented their full-court press and the Chargers looked to Jackson to carry the load. He would go on to score 16 points in the second half, the last 16 minutes of his high school basketball career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This mentality sparked a sense of control within every Charger that saw the floor during game. Only two turnovers were committed in the second half, despite the immense pressure from the Jaguar’s defense. Ty’rek Wells and Darius Jackson also contributed in a critical way, accumulating a total of 23 rebounds between the two big men. This powerful display of defensive presence inside the key is something the Chargers had struggled with during the regular season, being undersized and typically out-of-position.

 

This win had emotional correlations with the 2013 Division 1-A State Championship game, which was also played in the Orleans Arena against a familiar foe in Desert Pines. Carter Olsen and Colby Jackson remember that game all too well. This atmosphere provided a way for the team and especially these two leaders to bounce back after adversity and demonstrate their prominence in the conference, division, and ultimately state.

 

It has been over 20 years since a public school has won back-to-back state titles. The Clark men’s basketball team has been on the rise within the last four years and this ascension should continue into succeeding years.

 

“It’s been a long ride and a lot of emotions came up when that clock hit zero. It was just the sweetest feeling,” said senior guard Carter Olsen, who has played at Clark for three years. “We’ve been working for this for months now and it’s finally here and it’s surreal. It’s going to take me some time to be able to grasp it.”

 

The ramifications of this game are great. In the coming season, Clark will have yet again, a target painted on their backs. With the loss of five valuable seniors, the task to replicate this year’s success will rest in the hands of Clark’s up-and-coming players. A powerhouse is in the process of being built and it is moving to witness.