Basketball Recap: Mojave Falls Short Against Ranked Liberty

On Tuesday, Mojave faced Liberty in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Mojave Rattlers took a 69-59 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Liberty Patriots. The defeat continues a trend for the Rattlers in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now lost three in a row.

When it comes to explaining why Mojave lost, don't look at C.J. Shaw. Despite the final result, he went 13 of 22 on his way to 29 points in addition to eight rebounds and five steals. That was a full 49.2% of Mojave's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Zacarrion Jackson, who earned six points and ten boards.

Rattlers

Previous 3 Games

01/28/25 @ Liberty	59-69
01/25/25 vs Democracy Prep Agassi Campus	72-74
01/21/25 @ Bishop Gorman	67-70

Even though they lost, Mojave smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive matchups.

Liberty's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jalen Parker led the charge by going 8 for 12 en route to 21 points and three steals. Dante Steward was another key player, going 9 of 19 on his way to 22 points.

Mojave's loss dropped their record down to 12-9. As for Liberty, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-9.

Mojave will be playing in front of their home fans against Centennial at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Mojave's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season. As for Liberty, they will square off against Coronado at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.